Living a Nightmare
by writerchic16
Summary: Reba is forced to deal with a part of her past she'd rather forget when it literally catches up with her. [Complete!]
1. Prologue

**Living A Nightmare**

A/N: First of all, though this is a sequel, you do not need to read "Living A Dream" first (though it would be awesome if you did). You just might be a little confused when you read the Prologue, lol.

To all those who reviewed "Living A Dream" - Thank you for all your great and flattering reviews! You all made writing "Living A Dream" much more enjoyable!

I've decided to make this somewhat of a trilogy. Someone suggested using Cheyenne as a main character, but honestly…I never liked her that much, lol. So all stories will center around Reba, and different ways Terry intervenes and drives her crazy. Connects the stories better, IMHO.

And I realize that my first plot idea for Living A Dream wasn't original, and anyone who's seen "Disney's The Kid" knows that this one isn't completely original either. But hopefully the incorporation of "Reba" characters and my personal twists make up for that.

Again, I'm going to put somewhat of a disclaimer. Most of the facts about Reba's life in the past are of pure imagination.

* * *

**April 2007**

Her hands on her hips, Reba glared at her teenaged daughter with as much authority as she could muster. "I'm sorry, I must not be hearing right. You said you did _what_ now?

The way her eyes were narrowed would have made any member of her family squirm. All except iron-willed Kyra. "No, you heard me," the singer retorted, crossing her arms and wearing her usual smirk. "Let me say it _slowly_. I. Did Not. Apply. To College. 'Kay, glad we could chat, I'll be in my room…"

"Hold on there, missy…" Reba ordered, grabbing Kyra's arm before she could run up the stairs.

Kyra managed to get out of her mother's hold, but not without some effort. "Jeez, watch that grip, Mom. Don't want your blood pressure to spike up again."

"I've been feeling fine," Reba huffed, then leaned in and whispered, "Besides, if anything does happen…you of all people should know that I've got connections."

"Figures. _My_ mother has to be the _one_ person on Earth who can call up her guardian angel and turn back time," Kyra snapped.

Casting a worried look to the kitchen, Reba warned, "Hey, keep it down about that, will you? Cheyenne and Barbara Jean are in the kitchen." It had been about two months since she woke up from her coma, but the Hart household, both of them, were still as busy as ever. Barbara Jean and Brock, after being on the verge of signing the divorce papers, were on the long road back to a loving marriage. Cheyenne (growing increasingly pregnant), Van and Elizabeth, though they had experienced some difficulty, were adjusting to life in their new house.

Reba, however, was the same – trying to keep the peace amidst pure chaos. Though sometime during the fights and the intense conversations, she'd somehow admitted that Barbara Jean was her best friend. She was still paying for that.

And there was the little matter that her guardian angel, Terry, kept popping in on her every once in a while. Amazingly enough, she was getting used to that too.

"You know, this is kinda cool," Kyra remarked, startling Reba out of her reverie. "Having our own family secret and everything. We really should tell everyone eventually."

"Hah, yeah right. They think I'm crazy enough," Reba huffed.

Kyra chuckled, then once again headed for the stairs. She stopped when she felt her mother's hand once again on her arm. "Mom, let go."

"We're not finished discussing this yet," Reba insisted. "Now I realize that you plan on taking a year off, and that I can't do anything about it because you're a 'legal adult' and all that business. But, Kyra, this was _months_ ago. I _saw_ you filling out applications."

Sighing, Kyra walked back down the two steps she'd managed to climb and crossed her arms across her middle. "Look, don't freak out or anything, but…I did that to fake you out. My band and I were actually in the _process_ of deciding to go on tour, and I didn't want to show any disloyalty by applying to college. Kind of a politics thing, you understand?"

"No," Reba said without hesitation. Her hand on her head, she groaned. "Kyra, Kyra, Kyra. I don't appreciate you deceiving me like that. We could've talked. Look how good I was about you deciding not to go to college…yes, I realize what I just said…"

"See? And I was seventeen then, _not_ part of the 'legal adult thing.' You would've shipped me off to go live with Grandma or something like that," Kyra pointed out.

_She has a point,_ Reba admitted to herself. She could deny all she wanted to, but Reba knew that she would not have been a "cool parent" about it. "Alright. And it's all water under the bridge now, I suppose."

"Yeah, I mean, what does it matter? By the way, why'd you even _ask_?" Kyra questioned.

Reba gave a sheepish grin. "One of the mothers at your school was going on and on about how her son had gotten into some good colleges. I wanted to know what colleges you got accepted to so I could brag right back."

"Sorry I couldn't do that for you," Kyra replied, a note of sincerity in her tone. "But you _can_ tell her that my band got a record contract."

It took a minute for the information to register. When it did, Reba's eyes widened. "What? A record contract? When did this happen?"

"Some executive from Virgin records heard about us and gave us his card after a gig," Kyra almost squealed. "It was so cool! He said he really thinks we could make it big! I've been waiting for the right time to tell everyone all week!"

"That's great, honey! I'm so proud of you!" Reba exclaimed, wrapping Kyra in a hug. She meant it too. Though she would never confess it, she admired Kyra for sticking to her guns and making a real effort to achieve her dreams. In fact, the way Kyra was so excited about a music career made Reba remember herself at that age, so hopeful that she'd make it big one day.

Returning the hug, Kyra broke away and dashed to the kitchen. "Thanks Mom!" she called. "I'm going to go tell Cheyenne and Barbara Jean! I can't wait until Dad and Van get here!"

Reba laughed, watching Kyra nearly skip into the kitchen. _Skipping and squealing. Kyra really becomes another person when she's happy, doesn't she?_

Turning around, she chuckled to herself as she went back up to the attic. She'd been clearing it out for Spring cleaning all week long, and since Kyra was keeping her guests occupied she figured she could squeeze in a few more minutes of going through junk.

She reached the attic and returned to the pile she'd be working through before the doorbell rang earlier that afternoon. It was box' of Jake's Spring and Summer clothes, and she guessed she would have to bring it downstairs sooner or later.

Deciding that "later" would be the better option, she gently kicked them to the side, near the stairs. Reba paused, something sparkly moving in the corner of her eye.

_What the heck?_ Reba wondered, bending down and picking the object up. She sat down on a sturdy box, twirling the object in her hands.

It was the Christmas star, the one that had gotten her into the whole coma mess. Funny, she could've sworn she'd packed it away when she finally did get around to taking down and properly storing the rest of the decorations.

Shrugging, Reba held the star in both her hands. One measly wish couldn't hurt, if she phrased it right.

_I wish…boy, what do I wish for?_ Shaking her head in amazement, she realized that for once in her life, she didn't need anything. Her career was going well, and her family was always around her. And she meant _always_.

_Kyra._

Reba sighed. Though the teen wouldn't be going to college, she would be going on tour. Still far, far away from home.

"I wish that Kyra and I stay close," she began, "that's what I'll wish. But at this age…it's going to be very easy for us to drift apart. I wish I understood her a little better, got why she was so intent on giving up on college all together and risking her life on a music career that may or may not happen."

She paused, giving the star one more thoughtful glance before placing it on the attic's windowsill.

"Oh, and Terry, if you pull anything like that coma stuff again I swear to God I'll kick the crap out of you."

* * *

**April 1973**

"I love being eighteen!" Reba exclaimed, tossing her long, curly red hair over her shoulder and accepting a beer from her boyfriend. It was a Friday night, and she was doing what she usually did on weekends. Hanging out at the love of her life Terry's bar (how _cool_ was it that her boyfriend owned his own bar) with her best friend in the whole wide world, Lori Ann.

Rolling her eyes at her immature friend's excitement, Lori Ann unbuttoned the top button of her blouse and remarked, "Calm it down, will you? I don't want every available guy in here to know I hang out with high school kids."

"Well, technically I won't be a high school kid in two months," Reba pointed out, taking a long sip of her drink. Her eighteenth birthday had only been a month ago, but in her eyes that now made her just as much as an adult as Lori Ann, who was twenty. However, the blonde didn't quite share that belief yet.

Lori Ann cast a flirtatious glance at a hot man who had to be at least twenty-five in the corner, then turned back to the bar. "And thank God for that. Do you realize how annoying it is to have to wait for you to get out of school? Especially on a Friday. If you'd just skip class _once_ we could be at the mall so much sooner…"

"Lori Ann…" Reba sighed. "I told you, I just can't. Unfortunately I have too much of a conscience. Plus it helps that my mama would box my ears if she found out."

"Oh, right, I forgot I was talking to Miss Goody-Goody, the queen of all goody-goodies in the world," Lori Ann drawled.

Reba pouted. "I am not! Didn't I stay out past curfew last weekend?"

"It was for a singing gig, and you were only an hour late," Lori Ann retorted.

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't matter," Reba replied, then paused as a dreamy look came over her face. "Wasn't I great last weekend? The way everyone stood up and clapped at the end…I can't wait to sing again!"

Snapping her fingers in front of Reba's face, Lori Ann called, "Earth to Reba, come back to planet Reality."

"What? Oh, sorry. I just can't help it," Reba said, still imagining the applause she would get when she performed again. Which would hopefully be soon. Terry said the bar had an open night that weekend she could get.

As if he knew she was thinking about him, Terry took a break from bartending and joined them. "Hey Lori Ann, you picking on my girl?"

"So what if I was?" Lori Ann retorted.

Terry raised an eyebrow. "Then I'd have to kick you out."

"You wouldn't dare. You'd lose your star singer, isn't that right, Reba?" Lori Ann teased back, smirking.

Making eye contact with Reba, Terry pleaded, "Now, you wouldn't do that to me, would you honey?"

"Sorry, Lori Ann," Reba joked, leaning across the bar to kiss him.

Lori Ann shook her head. "You two are so cute it's disgusting. Oh, speaking of cute, will you excuse me?"

"There she goes," Reba chuckled, watching her best friend corner a cute guy who'd just walked in. Turning back to Terry, Reba asked, "So, seriously now. Can I…"

"Well, sure. As long as you keep the owner happy," Terry joked.

Feeling her excitement level rising to its peak, Reba exclaimed, "Oh my God, really?"

"Yup. I've already got fliers printed," Terry answered.

Reba couldn't help herself. She reached across the bar, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Thank you! I love you so much!"

"I love you too. And I'm sure you're going to blow the roof off this joint Saturday night," Terry assured her.

Thinking for a moment, Reba smiled. "That's perfect. Mama and Daddy are going out and won't be back 'til late."

"Are you _ever_ gonna tell them about this singing thing?" Terry asked. "I think they'd be supportive. They're going to have to find out when you get that big contract you've been talking about."

Reba gave a short laugh. "Yeah, right, like my mama would understand. She'd tell me that I'm just wasting my time and that I should focus on my studies."

"You never know. She might surprise you," Terry suggested.

"I doubt it," Reba replied, paused, then glanced down to realize her glass was empty. "Hey, I'm gonna go to the little girls' room. I think I've been abusing my new drinking privileges."

"'Kay. I'll be right here when you get back," Terry replied, going back to his customers.

Making eye contact with Lori Ann and smiling, Reba went down the side hallway that led to the restrooms. She reached the girls' room and pulled on the door, but found it locked. "Hey, anyone in there?"

When there wasn't a response, she turned around to get Terry. The latch was loose, and sometimes the eye fell into the hook if the door was slammed too hard.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she found him standing in front of her. "Terry…what, did you follow me or something? What's with the white vest?"

"Reba, come with me," Terry said, holding out his hand.

Looking at his face, she grew more confused when she saw that he appeared…different, older somehow. _What's going on? Where does he want to go?_

Well, she'd find out when she got there. She put her hand in his.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Well, she'd find out when she got there. She put her hand in his._

Her eyes snapping open, Reba sat upright in bed, feeling cold sweat soak through her pajama top. She felt her hair, and breathed a sigh of relief when it wasn't long and curly, but her usual straight and shoulder-length style.

_Don't be stupid. What else would it be?_ Reba chided herself. Though the dream, or memory, or whatever it was had been so real…for a while there she'd believed that Terry had somehow brought her to the past again, only _much_ further back.

Honestly, she hadn't been at all surprised to go to sleep and find herself eighteen at the bar with Lori Ann. It did technically answer her wish. _Maybe that was it. Maybe you were doing all that worrying for nothing._

Though it did concern her that it hadn't been a memory, per se. True, that conversation with Lori Ann and Terry did actually happen; but…that part at the end with angel Terry…what was that about? Was he trying to tell her something?

_I really am losing it,_ she sighed. Angels? Weird dreams? She needed a huge dose of reality, and she needed it fast.

Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she climbed out of bed…then ran to the bathroom. Apparently dreaming about going to the bathroom had its effects.

Minutes later she was dressed and ready for the day. Getting to the kitchen, she raised an eyebrow when she saw Jake sitting at the kitchen table eating a bow of cereal. He was getting to that age where he slept until noon if he could. "Hey, bud, what are you doing up so early?"

"I'm not," he replied, giving her a worried glance. "What are _you_ doing up so late? It's 11 'o clock."

"You're kidding!" Reba exclaimed, but a quick glance at the clock on the microwave proved he wasn't. _Okay, first the dream, then I oversleep by three hours. What's happening to me?_

She turned around to find that Jake was still staring at her. "Mom, are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine…why? Do I look okay? I don't look younger, do I?" Reba panicked, suddenly getting a horrifying idea. If Terry followed the whole "young like me" philosophy, then it might not be long before really _was_ eighteen again.

Jake shook his head in confusion. "Um, no…yes…whichever answer won't get me in trouble."

"I'm sorry Jake. I've just got something on my mind," Reba replied, then thought, _If I still have it, that is._

Bringing his empty bowl to the sink, Jake asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not especially, but thanks for the offer," Reba sighed, putting an arm around his shoulders.

Jake smiled at her, then went to the back door. "Hey, Mom, can I go hang out at Jimmy's house? It's right down the street, and I'll be home for dinner."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," Reba responded, grinning as he shouted "thanks, Mom!" on his way out the door. She turned around just as Kyra was walking into the kitchen. "Hey, there you are, just the person I wanted to talk to."

"What'd I do now?" Kyra wondered, taking a seat on one of the island stools.

Reba gave her an apologetic smile. "No, not something you did. Something I did. That I think I regret."

"Mom, you married Dad over twenty years ago. Get over it," Kyra smirked.

Tilting her head, Reba retorted, "Ha, ha, ha, very funny. No, I did something else. Something that could possibly affect you too."

"'Possibly'? Me? Mom, what did you…" Kyra trailed off, her mouth dropping open. "You didn't. Not again."

"I'm sorry! I found the star in the attic, I couldn't help myself!" Reba argued, putting her hand on her hip.

Kyra stood up and walked around the island to stand next to her mother. "You couldn't help yourself? Do the words 'wish-induced coma' mean anything to you?"

"I know, I know! That's why I'm worried! Weird stuff is already starting to happen!" Reba admitted.

Groaning, Kyra let out a deep breath. "Well, maybe it won't be so bad. What _exactly_ did you wish?"

"Um, funny you should ask," Reba began. She was a little embarrassed to admit that the wish had been about the one person she was talking with. _This is going to be awkward._ "Okay, in my defense, I'd just had that conversation with you about college…."

"Mom, what exactly did you wish?" Kyra repeated, the panic that had already been in her tone rising a few notches.

Managing what she hoped was a comforting smile, Reba answered, "I, uh, I wished that…we stayed close, that I could understand you a little better."

"Mom!" Kyra yelled, pacing the floor with nervous energy. "Have you ever _heard_ of the movie 'Freaky Friday'?"

"Hey, they got switched because of a fortune cookie. This is totally different!" Reba insisted.

Kyra glared at her. "Mom…"

"Oh, fine, I promise if I wake up in your body tomorrow I won't ruin your life," Reba swore, mockingly raising her left hand.

"That's all I ask," Kyra replied. Putting her head in her hands, she moaned, "You know, this magic and wishes and all that really gives you a headache."

"You can say that again," Reba muttered.

Going to the back door, Kyra said, "Alright, while I await my impending doom, I'm going to band practice. See you later."

"Kyra, wait!" Reba called. When the teen paused, Reba explained, "Look, something happened last night. I had a dream about part of my past I'd tried to forget, and I think it helped. Bottom line is…while I'm still not happy about it, I think I can understand why you're pursuing your music career. Though it would be great if you could go to college while doing it."

"And it would be great if Barbara Jean didn't give me a bone-crushing hug every time I mentioned going away on tour. Life's not perfect," Kyra joked, then paused when she realized her mother had been sincere, not poorly disguising another "stay in school" lecture. "Um, well, thanks then. I should be back in a few hours."

"Okay. Have fun, and…call me if anything weird happens," Reba replied, shaking her head. Then she reached for the coffee maker. Something told her she wouldn't be able to get through the rest of the day without a shot of caffeine.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Reba, the eighteen-year-old one, exclaimed, not believing her own eyes. She was in an unfamiliar backyard, standing next to a tree house. What confused her the most, however, was that mere seconds ago she had been in the bar.

When Terry didn't respond, she demanded, "How did I get here? Where am I?"

"2007," Terry replied, casually leaning on the tree house ladder.

"I asked _where_, not…" Reba trailed off, the implication of his response clicking in her mind. _No, this isn't possible._ "Stop it. Come on, what happened? Did I fall and hit my head or something?"

"Listen, Reba, I'm not the Terry you know," he began, some hesitation in his voice.

She was about to retort, but paused as she gave him a closer look at his face. "Oh my God, since when do you have wrinkles? I think I would've noticed."

"Okay, this is going to be a little hard to explain," Terry sighed.

Putting a hand on her hip, she ordered, "Then start explaining."

"Well, first of all, I'm from the future," he said, continuing despite her incredulous expression on her face. "In the future, meaning 2007, I've been dead for about four years now. You're now in your fifties and married someone else, by the way. However, when I died I became your guardian angel. As for why you're here now, well, your future self wished that you'd be able to understand your teenage daughter better…"

"Wait, so I'm here to help my future self?" Reba finished for him.

Terry nodded. "Basically."

"Oh God, how drunk am I?" Reba moaned, putting a hand to her forehead.

Chuckling, Terry answered, "Not drunk at all, actually, just in a very weird situation."

"Look, Terry or whoever or whatever you are," Reba replied, not amused in the least. "Take me home. Now. I can't be here, wherever this is. I have a gig this weekend, and…"

"I promise that when you do help your future self, you'll be back in your time the exact moment you left. No one will even realize you're gone," Terry assured her.

Letting out a deep sigh, Reba approached the window that looked into the kitchen. "So this is my house, huh? Not exactly the mansion I'd always imagined. Am I famous? Do I have a totally hot husband? Tell me I at least have a few maids."

"Not exactly," Terry laughed, going over to look through the window as well.

Reba frowned. She didn't love what she was seeing. A woman in her fifties with shoulder length red hair was wiping down one of the counters with a sponge. _So that's me. Ugh…I'm _old_. And I'm _cleaning "I don't get it. That's _me_? What went wrong with my life?"

"Only one way to find out," Terry replied, indicating the back door.

Shaking her head, Reba argued, "You're kidding. I can't go in there! If I know me like I think I know me, I won't believe myself one bit! She…I mean I'm…going to think I'm nuts!"

"She'll believe you. Trust me," Terry said as he opened the door. "Besides, what choice do you have?"

_He does have a point. It's not like there's anything else I can do,_ Reba thought. _I'm probably dreaming anyway. Maybe I passed out after having one too many beers. _

_I can't wait to tell Lori Ann about this. She'll get a kick out of it. Or convince me that I need mental help. Though she wouldn't have much convincing to do._ Giving Terry one last look, Reba approached the door. "Well, here I go. See you soon…hopefully."

* * *

Older Reba finished wiping down the counter, then threw it in the sink. She'd just finished making lunch, well, breakfast for herself and cleaning up the dishes that Jake and Kyra left in the sink, and was now contemplating what to do with the rest of her day.

It amazed her how much free time she had on the weekends. During the week, she was busy with work and taking care of the kids, or too tired to do either. But on weekends, Kyra and Jake were both out with friends…and she was on her own.

She supposed she would have to get used to it. It'd been tough enough with Cheyenne, Van, and Elizabeth moving out. Now with Kyra going on tour, and she knew it wouldn't be long before Jake was looking at colleges…the day when she would be left alone in the house was fast approaching.

_Maybe I should take up a hobby,_ Reba mused. But for now, she'd settle for…well…hanging out with Cheyenne. And Barbara Jean. _There's one thing I could've wished for. A better social life._

Though, her social life would definitely take a more interesting turn when Lori Ann finished moving back to Houston. Reba couldn't be more excited that her longtime best friend would be close by The blonde had actually moved back several weeks ago, but due to unpacking and other issues they hadn't really been able to hang out much.

That would change today, though. Reba had helped unpack the last box yesterday, and they were celebrating with a night on the town. Like Lori Ann had once said, _The night is young and so are…well, at least the nights are young!_

Chuckling to herself, Reba didn't hear the back door open. When she finally did realize that someone was standing in the doorway, she gasped in surprise. "I'm sorry, can I help…you…."

"Um, hi," the teen said, giving a little wave.

Reba couldn't move. The red hair, the eyes, the face, the build…

All she could say was that Terry had a warped sense of humor.

Clearing her throat, Reba asked, solely to make sure she was, in fact, losing her mind, "W-what's your name?"

The teen gave her an all too familiar sheepish grin. "Reba. Reba Nell McKinley."

"I thought so," Reba sighed. And then she fainted.

It seemed like hours before she woke up. When she did, she was still on the floor, with her eighteen-year-old self staring at her. Holding her head, she pulled herself up to a sitting position. "How long was I out?"

"About five seconds. You want some ice or something for your head?" The teen offered, already going to the fridge.

Getting to her feet, Reba insisted, "No, I'm fine…physically, at least. I'm sorry, but…w-what…h-how…."

"Quick question. What the hell happened to us?" the teen demanded, crossing her arms.

Reba massaged her head for a second, then asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Us! If you're me, where's our husband? Where's our kids? Where's the pool in the backyard, the dozens of screaming fans, and hell…where's the dog? I always wanted a dog," the teen ranted, now pacing the kitchen floor.

_This isn't happening. I'm not being yelled at by my former self for how my life turned out,_ Reba thought. Despite the craziness, the accusations were getting under her skin. "Hey! You can't just walk in here and start criticizing me about my life! I tried, okay? And for your information, our _ex_-husband is across the street living with his wife, the kids are out with their friends, and you don't have any fans!"

"Why _not_?" The teen asked. "What happened to the singing career, huh? What am I now, some _secretary_ or something boring like that?"

"I am a real estate agent, thank you very much!" Reba answered, anger in her tone.

Glaring at her, the teen retorted, "Like that's so much better."

"It is!" Reba exclaimed. Then she did a mini-reality check. _No. No, I'm not getting into an "is too, is not" argument with myself. It's just too weird._ "Okay, let's try this again. How exactly are you here?"

"I don't know," the teen admitted.

Tilting her head, Reba pressed, "What do you mean?"

"Well, the last thing I remember, I was in the bar with Lori Ann and Terry…you remember them, right?" the teen began. When Reba nodded, she continued, "I went to go to the bathroom and…then Terry says to 'come with him.' Next thing I know I'm in your…our…backyard, and he's telling me he's your guardian angel."

_That confirms it. Terry's a dead man. More so than he already is._ Reba sighed. "So that's what that dream was. Anyway, did he mention when you'd….leave?"

"Only when I helped you with whatever problem you were having," the teen answered. She plopped herself down on one of the island stools and grabbed a nearby notepad and paper. "So let's get this psychotherapy crap over with and get me out of here."

"I guess it's worth a shot," Reba laughed. But even as she started telling her younger self about her life, she knew that getting rid of eighteen-year-old Reba would not be that easy.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

About to go into her house through the back door, Kyra was surprised to find it locked. Not in the mood to fish out her keys, she called, "Mom! It's Kyra – I forgot my guitar pick!"

"Um…be right there!"

_That's odd_, Kyra thought. Her mother's voice sounded…faint, somehow, and panicked. "Mom, are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Reba said as she opened the door. "So, where'd you leave your pick? I'll get it for you."

"You will?" Kyra asked in surprise. Her mother was always a fan of the "get it yourself" theory, so something was going on here. Kyra could tell by the way her mother was leaning against the doorframe, nervous hand on her hip, panicked look on her face…

Reba nodded. "Sure! Where'd you leave it?"

"In my room. I'll get it," Kyra insisted, and before her mother could close the door she pushed her way in. Since Reba was pushing her towards the kitchen, Kyra dug in her heels and looked around. Her eyes immediately fell on the red-haired teenager sitting at the island, watching the scene with her eyebrow raised.

Kyra stared at her. The teen looked almost _exactly_ like her mother. Well, not exactly, but if Reba was eighteen, Kyra was pretty sure she would look like that. "Hi…who are you?"

"I'm…Reba's…I mean, Ms. McKinley's…" the teen trailed off, unsure how to continue.

Whirling around to face her mother, Kyra repeated, "'Ms. McKinley's'? What's going on?"

"Nothing! I'm just here because – "

Reba groaned, cutting the young girl to stop mid-protest. "It's okay, we can tell her. She knows about Terry."

"Terry? What does he have to do with…" Kyra stopped, then looked closely at the other teen. "What are you?"

Stumbling off the stool, the teen answered, "Will you stop looking at me like that? Jeez, how did I ever raise a daughter who was so intimidating?"

"When you become intimidating yourself. Don't worry, it'll happen with time," Reba sighed at the teen's dubious expression.

_Wait…what? This isn't making any sense_, Kyra thought. Narrowing her eyes at the other teen, Kyra demanded, "Who…are…you?"

"I think this might help clear things up," Reba said, reaching into a cabinet and taking out a photograph. She handed it to Kyra. "I dug that up a few weeks ago when Lori Ann said she was moving back. It's a picture of us in a bar…when I was eighteen."

"Why are you showing me this?" Kyra asked, but did a double-take when she noticed the picture. "Oh my God," she gasped. The photo may as well have been of the teen sitting across from her. Which, she was beginning to think, it was. "Wait, so you're," Kyra said, pointing to the young girl. Then she slid her finger over to her mother, "You. At my age."

Reba nodded slowly. "Yes. As crazy as it sounds, yes."

"Man," Kyra laughed, "Terry is awesome!"

Giving a huff of disagreement, the teen remarked, "Really. 'cause I'd call him a mo_ron_ for bringing me here. I want to go home!"

Kyra felt a shiver go up her spine at the eerie similarity. _She really _is_ Mom!_ "Mom, what are we going to do? What are you going to tell everyone? She's obviously going to have to stay here!"

"I know, I know," Reba replied. "This is going to be very hard to explain, though. After all, Brock knew me in my younger years."

The teen looked at them with pure confusion on her face. "Who the heck is Brock?"

"You don't want to know," Reba sighed.

After a second of thinking, Kyra suggested, "We could say she's a distant relative."

'Too risky," Reba disagreed. "Brock, Cheyenne, and even Jake all pretty much know our family tree."

As a few more moments of contemplative silence passed, young Reba spoke up, "We could say that I'm a friend of Kyra's. I mean, we _are_ the same age. We could say that my parents are going away on a second honeymoon for like a week and they wanted me to stay with someone."

There was silence. Then Reba looked at her younger self with admiration. "I was _sharp_ at that age!"

"So you're my friend. And my mom," Kyra pointed out, unsure about how she felt about that.

Older Reba put an arm around her younger self. "What? It could work! I was cool!"

"If you say so," Kyra said. "But we gotta think of a name. I think even Barbara Jean would get suspicious my 'best friend's' name was Reba McKinley."

Reba thought for another second. "How 'bout Nell? That is my…our middle name."

"Okay. And my last name can be McEntire!" Nell exclaimed. When Reba and Kyra gave her looks, she shrugged. "I dunno, I heard it somewhere and thought it was cool."

Raising an eyebrow, Kyra said, "Okay then. Did Terry happen to say when…_Nell_ would go away? No offense."

"None taken," Nell assured her. "He said that whenever I helped Reba…man that's weird…with her wish I'd be home. But I don't get it. We just talk about it?"

Reba sighed. "Who knows with the way Terry's mind works."

"Mom…older Mom…" Kyra began. "I gotta ask, why didn't you want to tell me who…Nell was?"

Shaking her head, Reba answered, "I don't know, I panicked I guess. I figured if you didn't know who she was you wouldn't find out…oh, never mind."

"_Okay_ then," Kyra said, making a mental note to ask her mother…her adult mother…about it later.

Walking toward the living room door, Reba informed them, "I know this isn't the best time, but Lori Ann's going to be here in a little while, and I don't even have my makeup on yet."

"Wait, you're going to leave me here…with her?" Kyra asked.

Reba gave her an exasperated look. "Well, Lori Ann's going to be hanging out here for a while before we go out tonight, so you can go back to band practice if you want…"

"You're in a band? That's so awesome! Can I come? Please?" Nell squealed.

_No way! _Kyra thought. _Mom at band practice? That's not good!_ "Look Mom…I mean Nell…"

"Aw, Kyra! Let her go," Reba pressed. "Unless of course there's anything you wouldn't want me to remember. In which case you wouldn't be allowed to go anyway."

Kyra groaned, then grabbed Nell's arm. "Come on, let's get this over with."

* * *

Nell tried to contain her excitement while Kyra led her to the friend's house where the band would be playing. Something told her that acting like a hyper nut wouldn't help her get on the good side of the other teen and her band. _But still, this is so cool!_ "So, what kind of music do you play?"

"Mostly rock," Kyra answered, giving her a nervous once-over.

Stopping in her tracks, Nell looked down at her jeans, cowboy boots and plaid top. "What?"

"You should've changed into some of my clothes before we came," Kyra sighed. "You look like you stepped out of the seventies."

Nell gave an indignant pout. "Well, in my defense, I did! By the way, I've been meaning to ask…what's that?"

"What's what?" Kyra asked, glancing down.

Pointing to the small object clipped to Kyra's belt loop, Nell explained, "That weird metallic thing."

"You mean my _cell phone_?" Kyra replied, confused as she took it out of its holder. "You really don't know what this is?"

Shrugging, Nell answered, "Not really. I've been staring at it for a while but I have no idea what it is. Some kinda future gadget?"

"Um, yeah. It's…like a portable telephone…only smaller. Much smaller than what you're probably used to," Kyra responded, understanding in her tone. "Hey, when we get in there, lay off the 'what's that futuristic gadget' bit, okay? It's bad enough that I'm going to have to explain your clothes."

"Oh, right, of course. Sorry," Nell apologized. Then her gaze fell on another metallic object, this one square, sticking out of the other girl's jacket pocket. She held her tongue though, keeping in mind what the other teen had just said.

Following Nell's gaze, Kyra sighed. "It's an MP3 player."

"Thanks," Nell replied. Giving a short chuckle, she added, "And that is…"

"A modern-day CD player," Kyra informed her, then rolled her eyes when the teen still appeared confused. "A cassette player. A record player. Tell me when I get close."

"I get the idea," Nell assured her.

About to knock on the door, Kyra paused. "Look, before we go in there, let's get something straight. These are _my_ friends, the people I hang out with every single day. Please, please, _please_ don't embarrass me…Mom."

"Technically, I'm not your mother yet, so there's nothing you should be worrying about. Let's go!" Nell exclaimed. When the other teen raised an eyebrow, her shoulders sagged. "I'll try to tone it down."

Kyra nodded. "That's all I ask." Then she knocked on the door. "Hey, Skyler, it's me – open up!"

"Skyler? What kind of name is…." Nell quieted herself at Kyra's glare.

The door opened, and much to Nell's surprise it was opened by a guy with spiky black hair and a ring in his nose. "Hey, Kyra, took you long enough. Who's the cowgirl chic?"

"She's my friend from school. And if you make fun of her, I'll pound on you," Kyra threatened, shoving the boy to the side and strutting into the room with all the confidence in the world.

Nell stared at Kyra, stunned. _How can she just _push_ a man aside like that?_

Entering the room, Nell grew increasingly shocked when she realized that besides Skyler, there were two other men. One looked like he was in his twenties. _Kyra's "friends"…are all guys? Maybe one of them is her boyfriend and they let her in as the tambourine girl or something._

Her suspicions were proved wrong when Kyra stepped up to the microphone and picked up a guitar.

_She's the band leader?_ Nell thought, gaping at her future daughter.

"Okay, you lazy butts, the boss is back. Put down the beer cans and let's start already," Kyra ordered.

Casting a sidelong glance at Nell, one of the guys replied, "Kyra, you didn't even introduce us to your friend. That's rude, man."

"Oh, fine," Kyra grumbled. "Bryce, Cody, Skyler, this is my friend Nell. She's…staying at my house for a while."

The guy referred to as Bryce held out his hand. "Hey, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Nell replied, shaking his hand.

Cody, who was in the apartment's kitchen, asked, "You want a drink? We got soda, iced tea…and beer if you want it."

"Um, soda's good, thanks," Nell responded, walking towards the kitchen. She nearly stopped in her tracks when he took a soda can out of the fridge and brought it to her.

Once he gave her the soda, Cody sat down at the drum set. "Have a seat; make yourself comfortable."

'Yeah, and tell us what you think when we're done," Skyler added. "We're always looking for feedback."

_The twenty-first century is very different_, Nell thought, falling back into the couch and popping open the soda can.

"Hey, guys,, wait a minute," Kyra said, leaning her guitar against the wall and sitting down next to Nell. "Are you okay?"

Clearing her throat, Nell hesitated. Chances were that Kyra would think she was old-fashioned if she said what she was about to say. "I know this is going to sound silly, but…you're the head of a band. Made up of _guys_."

"So?" Kyra asked, clearly not getting it.

Frustrated, Nell pressed, "How are they…okay with it? I mean, they just let you boss them around. And they're so…respectful."

"They don't _let_ me do anything," Kyra answered, then her eyes widened in comprehension. "_Oh_. This is about the 'women's liberation movement' thing, isn't it? Well, FYI, we win. It's a women's world, and guys are just living in it."

Nell chuckled. "Really? So, is a woman the president now?"

After some thinking, Kyra amended, "Well, no…okay, so it's not that extreme, but it's close. Women can do anything now. There's still differences, but it's more…even, I guess."

"Oh, okay. It's still weird though," Nell sighed, then looked down at her drink. "I can't believe a _boy_ got a drink for _me_. And they want to know what I think of their music."

"Get used to it," Kyra laughed, then went to join the band and start rehearsal.

Leaning back on the couch, Nell smiled as she sipped her drink. She couldn't help but feel a little bit proud of herself for raising a daughter who wouldn't hesitate to kick some boys around.

She tried to concentrate on the band, but her eye kept wandering. _Jeez, what's that?_ She thought, staring at a large, rectangle flat screen in the corner. _It could be a TV. Where are the antennas, though? And that microwave in the kitchen…so small! How do you fit anything in there? _

Rather than ask herself questions she wouldn't be able to answer until she talked with Kyra later, she focused on the band. They were playing a slow number. She closed her eyes and tried to get into the music.

"…But in this moment

There is no end

There is no beginning

There's just the here and now

And how I think I feel

Emotions came like a tidal wave

Soaking me from the inside out

The wall grew to be so thick

That what's in front of me can't be seen…"

Her eyes flew open when the music stopped. "Can we just practice the instrumentals?" Kyra asked. "I need to practice that hard part."

"Aw, Kyra!" Bryce whined, strumming a few notes on his guitar, strumming a few notes out of frustration. "I can't concentrate without your beautiful voice filling the room."

Kyra playfully punched his arm. "Shut up. I really need to practice."

"So do we," Cody sighed. Then he glanced toward Nell. "Hey, can you sing?"

Sitting up straight, Nell quickly gulped down her mouthful of soda. "W-what? M-me?"

"No, she'd be too embarrassed, isn't that right, _Nell_?" Kyra cut in, shooting a pointed glance at her.

_She doesn't want me to sing,_ Nell thought. _But I want to! It feels like twenty years since the last time I performed…which I guess it is, but not technically…oh, just go for it! _Sending an apologetic look to Kyra, Nell stood up. "I'd love to. Do you have a copy of the lyrics?"

"Yeah, right here," Skyler answered, handing her a page with typed words on it.

"Okay…oh, wow, that's one good typewriter," Nell said without thinking, looking at the clear, small lettering. Then she blushed when she realized she'd said it out loud and Kyra groaned. "Never mind. Start the music!"

The band started, and Nell cleared her throat.

"This is the end

Yet it's also the beginning

I can't tell which

Makes me feel better

Maybe down the road

When everything I know has changed

I could tell you what this point

Meant to my life and what it was…"

Halfway into the song, she stole a glance at Kyra. The teen was in shock, gaping at Nell while attempting to play the guitar chords. _She thinks I'm good!_ Nell thought, then went back to the song.

An hour or so later they left the apartment, Before they walked down the path, however, Kyra grabbed Nell's arm. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Nell asked, feigning innocence.

Her jaw dropping, Kyra explained, "The singing! I mean, I knew you could sing…let's face it, Mom and I are the only ones who can carry a tune when we sing Christmas carols…but _that_? You…you…_rocked_!"

"Now was that so hard to admit?" Nell smirked, continuing on down the front path.

Kyra followed her. "B-but…you were _good_…you could make a CD!"

"Well, I don't know what a CD is, but I do want to be a professional one day," Nell admitted. "Terry let's me sing at his bar sometimes, and I've snuck out to a few other gigs. Mama and Daddy don't like it when I talk about being an entertainer. They think it's a waste of time and that I won't make it."

Minutes passed, and it took Nell a while to realize that Kyra wasn't next to her. Turning around, she asked, "What are you staring at?"

"Mom has a _lot_ of explaining to do," Kyra muttered, storming past Nell down the sidewalk toward their house.

_I think I just got my older self in trouble,_ Nell thought, watching her future daughter run down the sidewalk.

* * *

"Give me the strongest thing you've got," Reba said, sitting down at a stool at the bar. After the movie, she and Lori Ann decided to hit up a local bar and try their luck with the male population of Houston. Though she'd kept up her end of the conversation, Reba couldn't get her mind off her latest angel-induced problem, and Lori Ann was beginning to notice. She's have to come up with some sort of explanation eventually, but right then all she cared about was getting lost in whatever expensive mixed drink the bartender put in front of her.

Wrinkling her brow in concern, Lori Ann's jaw fell when the bartender placed a huge cocktail on the bar and her friend didn't even blink. Sliding the full glass away before the redhead could take a sip, she demanded, "Alright, what's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" Reba answered, making a move to grab the drink.

Lori Ann held it just out of her reach. "I doubt you usually have drinks this potent. Unless your alcohol consumption habits have drastically changed since I left…which I wouldn't doubt, what with you being left with Barbara Jean."

"Actually, the problem isn't Barbara Jean," Reba replied, chuckling at the blonde's disbelieving look. "It's just a…personal thing I have to deal with. Can I have my alcohol back now?"

Sighing, Lori Ann slid the drink back over to its original recipient. "Fine. But if you need to talk about something, you can always tell me. I'm here for you."

"Lori Ann, if I told you what was bothering me, you'd check me into a mental hospital," Reba insisted, taking a much needed sip of the drink. Then she gagged and wiped her tongue with a napkin. "My, doesn't that pack a punch. Water, please?"

Lori Ann chuckled. "Come on, it can't be that weird."

"Wouldn't you like to know," Reba muttered, gathering the courage to take another sip of the cocktail.

Raising an eyebrow, Lori Ann pressed, "That's awfully cryptic of you. 'Fess up, what's bugging you?"

"I'm telling you Lori Ann, you wouldn't believe it. I barely believe it myself," Reba argued, putting her head in her hand. "Can we just drop it? For now, anyway. I promise I'll tell you…eventually."

"Alright, but I'm gonna hold you to that promise," Lori Ann swore. Then she smiled and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

Reba smirked. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Getting me some drinks," Lori Ann answered, casting a flirtatious grin to a handsome man sitting at a table by himself.

Following her gaze, Reba admonished, "Him, really? He's probably waiting for a date."

"I know," Lori Ann replied, waving at him. Sure enough, he spoke to a waiter.

Seconds later the bartender placed a mixed drink in front of Lori Ann, and another one in front of Reba. "Miss," he began, looking at the blonde. "This is from that gentleman at that table. And this," he said, looking at Reba. "Is from that gentleman in the back."

Once the bartender left, Reba shook her head at Lori Ann. "You're so bad."

"Me? Look at you, getting one without even trying," Lori Ann teased, then glanced to where the bartender indicated. "And might I say that he is one tasty dish."

"With my luck, this is from the fat, bald guy standing next to him," Reba retorted, but took a sip anyway before going back to her original drink.

Laughing, Lori Ann paused when the guy approached them. Giving a low whistle in a approval, she poked Reba's shoulder. "Look, look! He's coming over!"

"Oh, he _is_ handsome. And he looks to be my age…" Reba trailed off, beginning to consider saying yes if he asked her out.

He finally reached them, and stood next to Reba. "Hi. Enjoying your drink?"

"Very much," Reba said, smiling. Then she pushed her first drink closer to Lori Ann. When he sent her a questioning glance regarding the movement, Reba gave a nervous chuckle. "Oh, that…was hers. I was holding it for her while she ate some peanuts and sobered up."

"Hey!" Lori Ann cried, but took a sip of the drink anyway.

The other two chuckled. Sticking out his hand, the guy said, "I'm Adam."

"Reba," Reba replied, shaking the hand. "This is my friend Lori Ann. She's really not a drunk. Usually, anyway."

Narrowing her eyes at Reba, Lori Ann smiled at Adam as she shook his hand. "So what brings you over here?"

"I couldn't help but notice how breathtakingly beautiful your friend is," Adam answered, turning his focus back on Reba. "I've been trying all night, albeit unsuccessfully, not to stare at your red hair."

Lori Ann gave an unimpressed huff. "It is rather bright."

"Shut up," Reba muttered to her friend under her breath.

"I have to admit, I'm typically not this forward," Adam continued, pulling a business card out of his pocket. "But, Reba, would you like to…go out for drinks sometime? Maybe coffee?"

_Store manager, huh?_ Reba thought, looking at the business card. She gave a sidelong glance at Lori Ann, who shrugged in approval. Slipping the card in her jacket pocket, Reba smiled. "Sure. Sounds fun. I'll call you…and I mean that."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Adam said, giving her one last grin before rejoining his friends.

Giving her a playful nudge with her elbow, Lori Ann teased, "Well, look at you."

"Well, look at your drink sender," Reba replied, nodding towards the guy who'd sent Lori Ann the drink earlier. His date had showed up and they were having an animated conversation.

Lori Ann's shoulder's sagged. Then she made a point of taking a sip of her drink. "At least he was good for something."

"Oh, I've missed you Lori Ann," Reba laughed, shaking her head.

"I've missed you too," Lori Ann replied, then held up her drink. "Here's to my ex-boss at Westman's Department store. May she burn in hell."

"Here, here," Reba toasted, clinking her glass against the other. Lori Ann had originally moved to Dallas for a job offer. After almost five years there, the boss fired her, and she'd decided to move back to Houston. "Why did you get fired? You never said."

Smirking, Lori Ann looked down into her drink. "Let's just say…another very cute employee and I spent a lot of time in the storeroom. And we weren't doing inventory."

Reba rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey, don't judge me! He was one of the higher managers. I was thinking about my future in the company," Lori Ann joked.

Sighing, Reba took another sip of her drink. "You know, I really have missed you. It hasn't been the same around here."

"I can imagine with that nuthouse you live in," Lori Ann remarked. "Barbara Jean drive you up a wall yet?"

Reba hesitated before answering, "Um…not yet. Lori Ann, I've been meaning to tell you. Things have changed…_a lot_. Barbara Jean and I, well, we're friends now. Best friends, in fact."

"Are you serious?" Lori Ann exclaimed. She'd been about to sip her drink, but she'd stopped it halfway to her mouth from the shock. "That tooth tart? How…you hated her!"

Blushing, Reba explained, "I don't know how it happened. But, the more I got over my failed marriage, the more I saw Barbara Jean for what she was – a very sweet person."

"So you mean…when we hang out…she's going to come _with_ us?" Lori Ann gasped in horror.

Reba tried to give her the most serious look she could muster. "Yes. She's my _friend_. And if you want to hang out with me at all, you're going to have to be nice to her from now on."

"B-but…but…" Lori Ann trailed off, then let out a resigned sigh. "I'll try. What about Brock, do I have to be nice to the butt now too?"

Laughing, Reba reached for her drink. "No, he's still fair game."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Arriving home after band practice, Nell and Kyra found the house empty. A quick look at the post-its on the fridge proved that Reba had gone out with Lori Ann, and that Jake would be sleeping over at his father and Barbara Jean's house.

Nell couldn't help but it feel it was better that her older self wasn't home. Still raving mad, Kyra would have surely initiated an argument that might not have gone too well. Even now, Kyra was pacing the living room, working off the angry energy.

"Look at it this way," Nell reasoned, becoming dizzy from the other teen's back and forth motions. "Chances are if she were here you would've said something you would've regretted."

"Oh, trust me, there's nothing I'm thinking that I regret," Kyra retorted, her arms crossed.

Taking a seat on the couch, Nell pressed, "Come on, Kyra, calm down. You can yell at me later."

"Hey, there's an idea," Kyra replied with a sudden spark in her voice.

Nell raised a wary eyebrow. "Just what are you talking about?"

"Maybe if I yell at you, older you will get the message," Kyra suggested. She'd stopped pacing and was now facing the other teen.

Shaking her head, Nell fought to quell the nerves in her stomach. She knew she would not do her older self justice if caught in an argument of wits with Kyra. "W-well…I don't think it works that way, truthfully. Think about practice – don't you think she would've called your 'cell phone' if she saw what happened?"

"No…maybe…." Kyra trailed off, then plopped herself onto the couch. "I'm just mad at you, okay?"

"Frankly, so am I," Nell admitted.

Kyra sat up and faced her, surprised. "You are?"

"Well, yeah!" Nell exclaimed. "I'm not famous, am I? I mean, how would you feel that in twenty years _you_ weren't a famous singer, but an apparently divorced real estate agent?"

"Now, _that's_ not going to happen," Kyra scoffed.

Nell glared at her. "How can you be so sure when you know what happened to me?"

Instead of firing off another comeback, Kyra hesitated. It was obvious she wanted to prove Nell wrong, but didn't know how she could.

"Hey Mom, we're here for a surprise visit!"

Nell bolted upright, her heart pounding in her chest. A young, blonde woman had just burst through the door, clutching the arm of an adorable toddler. Following behind them was a man dressed in a suit.

_I…I have a granddaughter?_ Nell thought, frozen with shock. Her other self hadn't looked old enough to be a grandmother.

"Cheyenne! What are you doing here?" Kyra exclaimed, getting off the couch.

Scooping the child up in his arms, the man replied, "What are you, deaf? She said 'for a surprise visit.' Now come on, where's Mrs. H?"

"Not here. Now leave," Kyra ordered.

The woman Kyra had called Cheyenne gave her sister a confused look. "She's not?"

"No, not that it's any of your business, but she's out with Lori Ann," Kyra answered.

Letting out an aggravated groan, the man remarked, "Well, there goes our plans for the evening."

"Van!" Cheyenne chided.

Kyra put her hands on her hips. "You came over to ask Mom to baby sit? On a Saturday night?"

"Well, we didn't think she'd be doing anything," Cheyenne defended. "And, you know, she loves spending time with Elizabeth so much…"

Not buying it for a second, Kyra smirked, "Yeah, right."

"Grandma Reba!"

The adults stopped their bickering at the child's exclamation. Much to their confusion, Elizabeth wriggled out of Van's arms and ran to Nell, climbing onto the startled teen's lap and wrapping her arms around her neck. "I missed you, Grandma Reba."

"I'm not your….I mean, I…" Nell was at a loss for words as she hugged the child back. _How does she know?_ She shot a panicked look to Kyra, who's face had gone pale.

Her mouth open in surprise, Cheyenne exclaimed, "That is _so_ weird! Why would she…" The words died on her lips as she gazed at Nell, clearly just noticing the similarities between the teen and her mother. "I'm sorry, w-who are you again?"

"Oh, yeah," Kyra interrupted. "This is my friend from school, Nell. She's going to be staying here for a few days while her parents are away."

Van stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you. You know, you could be Mrs. H's 'mini-me.'"

"Um…thanks?" Nell said as she shook his hand, not getting the reference at all.

Also shaking Nell's hand, Cheyenne asked, "So how long are you staying? I'm kind of surprised Mom didn't say anything about this."

"Well, the decision was kind of…spur of the moment," Nell lied. "And I'll probably be here for at least a week. Um…my…parents are…on a business trip. They could have to attend extra meetings, or it could take shorter than they thought…you never know."

Kyra looked at her with admiration, mouthing the word 'nice' and giving her a thumbs-up from behind Van and Cheyenne's backs.

"Speaking of time," Van cut in, sending a pointed look at his wife. "What are we going to do? We've got reservations at _Frank's_. You don't cancel on Frank!"

Putting a hand on her hip, Cheyenne argued, "Well, what are we supposed to do? Dad and Barbara Jean said Jake was staying over. With how Henry and Jake fight, they're not going to want to have to baby sit Elizabeth too!"

"We'll take her!"

While the others turned to stare, Nell wondered what she'd been thinking. The words had just flown out of her mouth, as if it were a reflex. She couldn't explain it, though. Elizabeth was still seated in her lap, and she found herself untangling a knot in the child's hair with her fingers, and fastening a button on the child's shirt that had come loose…

As if she were the child's grandmother.

Kyra had been about to protest, but she was now watching the interaction between the two and nodding slowly. "Um, yeah, sure. You guys go ahead."

"Really?" Cheyenne asked, disbelief in her tone.

Giving her a reassuring smile, Kyra teased, "You don't trust me?"

"Of course we do! Thanks, you're the best!" Van exclaimed. Both parents kissed their daughter good night, and with a final wave to Nell and Kyra were out the door.

Left alone, Elizabeth gave Nell a hopeful, 'what are we going to do now' look. "Grandma Reba?"

The two traded exasperated glances. Kyra sighed. "We're going to have to do something about that."

* * *

"Please? For me?" Reba begged. She was hunched over in front of her granddaughter, a cold chicken nugget in her hand. It was the Monday after her night out, and she was babysitting Elizabeth while Van worked late and Cheyenne attended class. For the past half-hour she'd been persuading an indignant five-year-old to eat her dinner. "Come on, Elizabeth…"

"Reba, if she doesn't want to eat, don't make her eat," Barbara Jean suggested. She was sitting at the kitchen island, watching while Henry finished his chicken nuggets.

Noting Henry's quiet obedience, Reba retorted, "Easy for you to say. You could put _anything_ in front of Henry and he'd eat it." Turning her attention back to her granddaughter, she sat back on a chair and asked, "Now, why won't you eat for Grandma?"

"I will eat," Elizabeth answered. "When the other Grandma Reba gets here. I want her to see that I eat my dinner like a good girl."

Reba stared, shocked by the unexpected answer. "W-what?"

"What 'other Grandma Reba'?" Barbara Jean questioned, going to sit next to her friend. "Reba, do you know what she means?"

_Unfortunately, I think I do,_ Reba thought, frowning. Nell had told her about what happened Saturday night, since Kyra was apparently avoiding her. Making a mental note to talk to her daughter later, Reba decided to handle the problem facing her now – explaining this to Barbara Jean.

Pretending to be equally confused, Reba lied, "No, no idea. Elizabeth, what 'other Grandma Reba'?"

"Kyra told me her name was Nell, but I don't believe her," Elizabeth answered.

Barbara Jean wrinkled her brow. "You mean Kyra's friend?"

"Oh, you know what must've happened?" Reba remarked, fake realization in her tone. "Nell does look a lot like me. Elizabeth's just confused." Refocusing on the child, she explained, "No, sweetie, Nell is Kyra's friend. What made you think she was me?"

"She looks a lot like you," Elizabeth shrugged. "And…I dunno…I had a feeling she was you."

_The innocence of a child,_ Reba sighed. While Elizabeth was actually very right, there was no way she could answer with the truth in front of Barbara Jean. "Well, I think you're just letting that active imagination of yours get out of hand again. But if it makes you feel better, I'll be sure to tell Nell that you ate all of your dinner. You've got to eat it first, though."

"Okay," Elizabeth responded. Clearly unconvinced, but placated for the moment, she picked up a chicken nugget and took a big bite.

Going back to her seat at the island, Barbara Jean commented, "That was weird."

"Yeah, well, kids say the darnedest things," Reba said, resuming her chore of cooking dinner for herself. Looking for a quick subject change, she asked as casually as she could, "So how was your weekend?"

Annoyance showing through her tone, Barbara Jean answered, "Not as exciting as yours, apparently. What's this I hear about you going out and not inviting me?"

"I'm sorry Barbara Jean," Reba apologized with sincerity. "But I was with Lori Ann, you remember her, right? She's back in town and we wanted to go out to celebrate."

Giving a huff of resentment, Barbara Jean retorted, "You still could've invited me."

"So you _don't_ remember Lori Ann," Reba joked.

"What do you mean…" Barbara Jean's eyes widened. "You mean she still hates me?"

Groaning, Reba began to explain, "Only because she hasn't – "

"Hey Mom."

Reba looked up to see Kyra and Nell walk through the back door. Since their story now was that Nell was Kyra's friend "from school," she would be going to school for the week. While Reba wasn't too excited about the idea of a teen from the 1970's walking around a modern high school, the teens convinced her it was the only reasonable thing to do. Nell would be bored waiting around, and Kyra could always pass her off at school as a visiting cousin.

"Hey, you two. You're back late," Reba greeted.

Putting her backpack down on a chair at the kitchen table, Kyra explained, "Well, the band wanted to squeeze in an extra practice during the week, so we headed over there for a little while."

Though the teen hadn't given her the silent treatment, Reba still detected a hint of anger. It was clear that Kyra hadn't expected her to be there when she entered through the back door. _We definitely have to talk soon,_ Reba thought.

"Oh my gosh, it's 5:30 already?" Barbara Jean exclaimed. "I better get home and start cooking dinner for Brock. See you tomorrow everybody!"

_Thank the Lord,_ Reba thought as she watched Barbara Jean and Henry go out the back door. Once they closed it behind them, Reba whirled to face the two teens. "Okay, how'd it go?"

"Relax, will you?" Nell answered, straightening her jacket. She'd borrowed clothes from Kyra's wardrobe, though the three had concluded that if she was going to stay for a while they'd need to do some shopping. "It went fine. No one suspected a thing."

Smirking, Kyra added, "History class was interesting though." Imitating her mother's twang, she raised her hand and mocked, "'Now, who's Ronald Reagan?'"

"Oh, no, you didn't!" Reba exclaimed.

"I did," Nell admitted with a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry! I was so excited about all this new information I lost my head for a minute."

Reba was about to respond, but paused when she heard the door open behind her. Turning around, she saw Lori Ann standing in the doorway. "Lori Ann! What are you doing here?"

"I'm missing one of my lipsticks, and I'm thinking it fell out of my purse when I stopped here the other night," Lori Ann explained.

Gesturing to the living room, Reba offered, "Go ahead and look around. You want to stay for dinner?"

"That's sounds great! Just give me a minute to – "

Lori Ann had stopped mid-sentence, rooted to the spot. She was staring at Nell with her mouth hanging open in shock.

Wincing, Reba traded a panicked glance with Kyra. _She recognizes Nell!_ She thought._ Although I should've been expecting it – she knew me when I was eighteen. That might work in my favor, though._

Slowly lifting up her finger and pointing at the amused teen, Lori Ann sputtered, "B-but…_how_…" Then she struggled to regain her composure and stuck out her hand. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. I'm Lori Ann."

"Nell," Nell replied, shaking her hand.

Lori Ann shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's just that…you look like someone I used to know. A _lot_ like someone I used to know. In fact…it's almost impossible…are you related to Reba?"

"No, I'm Kyra's friend," Nell answered, looking at Reba as if to ask "_should we tell her?"_

Reba silently debated, watching as Lori Ann tried to get over her shock. _Should I?_ she thought. _I did promise I'd tell her. And she's not going to let the subject drop either. I'd have to explain from the beginning though._ Sighing, she grabbed the picture she'd shown Kyra and prepared herself. "Lori Ann, have a seat. You're going to want to be sitting down when you hear this."

* * *

A half hour later, Nell and Reba were finishing up explaining the situation to Lori Ann. Early on, Kyra had decided that she wanted no part of it and went up to her room. So, while Lori Ann took a seat at the kitchen table, they'd gone into the story as best they could.

The blonde was relatively quiet the whole time, but her face made it clear that she would not believe any of it without some persuasion.

Nell herself couldn't quite believe that the woman sitting next to her was her best friend back in her time. She was thrilled that they were still best friends after all these years, and couldn't _wait_ to tell her Lori Ann about her future.

Shaking her head, she refocused on the conversation. Lori Ann was staring at the photograph with her mouth hanging open, and Reba was rambling. It was clear that the older redhead didn't want to stop for fear of what her friend might say.

"…so now _Nell_ has to stay here until Terry deems my problem 'fixed,'" Reba finished, giving Lori Ann a hopeful glance. When the blonde didn't reply, Reba cleared her throat. "Blink twice if you think we should both be in a mental institution."

Instead of blinking, however, Lori Ann looked from older Reba, to younger, then back again. "So Nell is you? From the '70s? Honey, if I were you, I wouldn't let her _near_ the kids."

"Too late for that," Reba groaned, but her relief that Lori Ann believed her shone through.

Deciding to ignore that, Nell asked, "So you really believe us, Lori Ann?"

"Well, why not? What's the harm in believing something wild every now and then," Lori Ann explained, then raised an eyebrow at Reba. "Besides, you couldn't come up with that crazy a story even if you tried."

"Hey, I am too creative!" Reba argued.

Laughing, Lori Ann turned to Nell. "But just to be sure…let me think, you're from 1973, aren't you…ok, what did I do with Brian Thompson senior year?"

"Brian Thompson? Wasn't he the guy who dumped your book bag in the school swimming pool?" Nell remembered, then her eyes widened. "Oh, right, then you made love to him in the boys' bathroom. I never did see my pencil case again."

Lori Ann gaped at her, then whirled to face Reba, who was desperately trying not to chuckle. "I told you not to tell that to anyone!"

"I didn't," Reba said.

Turning to stare at Nell in shock, Lori Ann whispered, "That is really creepy…"

"Welcome to my life," Reba sighed, then glanced at the clock. "We better quit talking about this. Jake's going to be home from basketball practice soon."

Lori Ann raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you mean to tell me that you, me, and Kyra are the only ones who know about this whole situation with Terry?"

"That's right. And I intend to keep it that way," Reba answered, her tone firm.

Looking back at Nell, who shrugged, Lori Ann nodded. "Alright then. You know, maybe I can help with this."

"Don't bother. She's being stubborn," Nell suggested.

Glaring at the both of them, Reba defended, "I'm not being stubborn, I just think Kyra should go to college. Like any normal parent."

"You are so full of BS!" Lori Ann exclaimed. "You didn't even want to go to college when you were that age! Just ask your mini-me over here!"

"Will someone please tell me what a 'mini-me' is? It's driving me crazy!" Nell huffed.

About to respond, Reba was cut off as a blonde-haired man entered through the back door. "Hey, Reba, do you know where Barbara Jean left one of Henry's toys…_you_!"

Lori Ann waved. "I'm b_ack_! It's good to see you too, Brock."

"Sure it is," Brock retorted, keeping a wary eye on her even as his gaze rested on Nell. "And you're Kyra's friend from school, right?"

Nell couldn't speak. Her jaw dropped, taking the sight of who had to be the _dreamiest_ older man she'd ever seen. He had such a nice tan, and she was pretty sure she could see his biceps through his shirt sleeves. Swallowing hard, she gave a meek nod in response and stuttered, "Y-yeah. I-I'm Nell."

"I know. Cheyenne and Van told us all about how Elizabeth mistook you for 'Grandma Reba' when they stopped over our house yesterday," Brock replied, then glanced between the two redheads. "I must say that I see the resemblance."

"Everybody's been saying that," Nell managed to reply. She secretly hoped that her older self would invite the handsome stranger to dinner.

However, much to her disappointment, Reba picked up a stuffed teddy-bear that had been on the counter and put it in Brock's hand. "There you go. See you later."

"It was nice chatting with you, Brock!" Lori Ann called in a mocking tone as he went out the door.

Once the door closed, Nell glared at her older self. "What'd you do that for? You should've invited him to dinner!"

Reba sighed as she pointed in the direction Brock had just took off in. "Because _he_ is your future husband…and my ex-husband."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Hold it right there!"

Kyra rolled her eyes, her hand still on the front door knob. Her mother's exclamation had caused her to stop and turn around. Raising an impatient eyebrow, she snapped, "What?"

"You're not going anywhere until we talk," Reba answered, her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed.

The last thing Kyra wanted to do right then was talk. Her mother was obviously referring to Kyra's freeze-out ever since Saturday, and Kyra wasn't sure if she was ready to thaw. She was still plenty mad about her mother's stunningly obvious hypocrisy. However, if she was only angry she'd have no problem with yelling it out.

The problem was that she was starting to feel unsure of herself. Ever since her talk with Nell on Saturday night, she'd been second-guessing her decision not to attend college. Before, she thought that her and her band were so great that they _had_ to make it. Heck, they already had a record contract and a tour. But after seeing her mom sing, Kyra would've bet money that she would've made it too if she didn't know any better. Not to mention that _Nell_ was so sure of herself, the way Kyra was sure of herself now. After some hard thinking, she'd had to ask…would she be happy if she ended up like her mother? The question had kept her up tossing and turning ever since she'd asked it.

It was one thing to confront her mother when she was angry. But angry _and_ confused? She might as well retreat from the battle of wits with her proverbial tail between her legs.

"Mom," Kyra pleaded. "I need to get to band practice. Can we talk later?"

Reba shook her head. "No. Not until I know why you're so mad at me. You can't keep freezing me out like this when I don't even know why."

_Oh, fine,_ Kyra thought. Her mother had that determined look on her face, and Kyra knew she wasn't getting out of the house unless she gave a sufficient response. "You want to know why I'm angry with you?"

"Yeah, I do," Reba replied, mocking Kyra's sullen demeanor.

Kyra glared at her. Her mother obviously thought that Kyra was overreacting to some minor incident, or was finding fault with something her mother thought made perfect sense. "Okay then. You're a hypocrite."

"Wh…what?" Reba sputtered. "What have I ever done that would make me a hypocrite…that would make you this mad?"

Smirking, Kyra retorted, "Oh, you don't remember? Maybe we should get your mini-me in here to refresh your memory, Ms. 'I-wanted-to-be-a-famous-singer'!"

Reba didn't reply for a second, her eyes lowered. "I suppose…Nell…"

"I kinda figured it out when we were at band practice," Kyra interrupted. "And she didn't hesitate to step up to the mike. Mom, she _rocked_. And…_apparently_…she wants to be a famous singer one day. But her _mama and daddy_ don't think it's a good idea."

There was quiet again. Finally, Reba sighed, "Maybe I did 'rock' back then. But Kyra…I was also eighteen. And you know what? When Nell goes back to her time, she _will_ decide in a few months that college will serve her better than struggling with music. She realized that no matter how much she 'rocked' she wouldn't be able to make it big."

"But that's her…you…whatever!" Kyra exclaimed, her anger and frustration rising. "Don't you get it? You didn't make it because you didn't believe in yourself! I believe in my band!"

"Well all the confidence in the world isn't going to do a dang thing!" Reba yelled back. "Okay, let's say I had tried to make it. I wouldn't have succeeded, and I would've wasted valuable years of my life!"

Glaring at her, Kyra seethed, "You can't know that! Maybe you _would've_ become a famous singer! Maybe you would be a celebrity right now!"

"Do you know how slim the possibility is that that would have happened?" Reba argued.

Kyra lowered her voice as she answered, "But at least you would've taken the chance."

"That's just it, Kyra. It was a chance," Reba replied. "A chance I _wasn't_ willing to take."

Feeling tears well in her eyes, Kyra stomped her foot. _How is she not seeing this? How is she not seeing that she's being a huge hypocrite?_ "Mom, get this through your head. I. Am Not. You! I _am_ willing to take this chance!"

"Well I'm not willing to let you!" Reba shouted. "Going to college was the best decision I ever made. I'm happy that I made that decision every day of my life. And I'm not letting you spend the rest of yours regretting an irresponsible decision you made when you were eighteen!"

Kyra clenched and unclenched her fists. "Will you stop _judging_ me? Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe not everyone is meant for college? That…that maybe I wouldn't be going to college even if I didn't have a band and a tour to go on _with_ that band?"

"W-what?" Reba sputtered. "What the heck are you talking about? You were a great student!"

It was then that Kyra realized that the insecure feelings she'd been having lately weren't about the band. They were about what would happen if she chose to go to college. "No I wasn't, Mom," Kyra admitted. "I'm smart, sure, but it takes a lot of work to _be_ smart. It took hard work to get on the honor roll every semester and earn that trip to Europe. I'm…I'm not sure if I'm up to doing that for another four years. I'm not sure if I can.

"But Mom, I _am_ sure when it comes to my band. I just have this feeling in my bones that we're going to be famous one day. That we'll be together making music for years, and then maybe get together for a much-in-demand reunion tour after that. We're good, Mom, I know we are. And if we go on this tour this summer, it'll be one of the best summers of our lives. Didn't you ever have that feeling when you were singing in Terry's bar?"

Sitting down on the arm of the couch, Reba crossed her arms. "I did. Once. And I still went to college because I knew it was only a feeling."

"This from the woman who thinks her mother's intuition is like a 'spider sense,'" Kyra muttered.

Narrowing her eyes again, Reba retorted, "I heard that. And look who's being a hypocrite now? You can go to college, you're just afraid. You're not willing to take a chance on _college_, just like I wasn't willing to take one on a singing career. I think, before I let you go on this tour, you need to seriously re-examine your feelings and what you want."

"You're not letting me go on this tour. I'm eighteen. I can do what I want," Kyra reminded her.

A smug look on her face, Reba pointed out, "And who's paying for your plane tickets so you can go on this tour?"

Kyra felt her blood run cold. _She wouldn't._ Most of the gigs on the tour were fairly local and easily driven to. But the tour ended in New York City, where they would be trying out for Virgin records. Normally she wouldn't ask her mommy and daddy to pay for something she wanted, but the tickets were so expensive, and she hadn't had time for a job between school and band practice. "Mom, you're telling me that I can't go to New York unless I go to college? You're _bribing_ me?"

"No. I am not bribing you," Reba argued. "I just want you to stop and think before you do something you could regret. And, if you do decide to stay with your band, I want a list of what you would do if you didn't make it. When I get my list, you get your money."

Hesitating, Kyra considered the offer. In fact that list didn't seem like such a bad idea. It might do her good, and reassure her a bit. "Oh, fine. I'll write the stupid list." Then she went out the door and slammed it behind her.

* * *

Nell hugged Jake's Social Studies notebook to her chest so he couldn't see it. She and Jake were sitting at the kitchen table, and she was helping him study for an upcoming test. She didn't mind, Reba was still at work, and Kyra was at band practice.

"No, Jake, the capital of Tennessee is _not_ Graceland. Come on, you _know_ this," Nell laughed.

"How can they expect us to memorize all the states?" Jake asked, aggravation in his tone. "I mean, there's fifty of them! And the capitals?"

Nell chuckled, lowering the notebook. "You need to know this. Every American should know the states and capitals."

"Can't I just look at a map?" Jake reasoned, tapping his pencil repeatedly on his notebook.

_He has a point,_ Nell thought. Instead of agreeing, she shook her head. "Not on this test you can't. Delaware."

"Delaware, who cares about Delaware?" Jake huffed.

Raising an eyebrow, Nell pointed out, "Maybe the people who live there? Come on, you mo_ron_, think!"

"That was weird," Jake said, staring at her. "My mom says that all the time."

"Oh…well…isn't that a coincidence," Nell lied. It hadn't even occurred to her that helping her future son with studying for his test would make him suspicious.

Jake stared at her for another second before refocusing on his pencil. "Yeah, it is. Um, okay, I think the capital of Delaware is…Delaware City?"

"Nice try," Nell chuckled. The two went back to studying, and by the time they reached "Wyoming" they were both exhausted and frustrated.

Massaging his forehead, Jake muttered, "Wyoming…I know this one…"

"Here's a hint – it's the same name as one of your sisters," Nell pressed.

Jake wrinkled his brow. "The capital of Wyoming is Kyra?"

"No, you idiot, _Cheyenne_!" Nell exclaimed, exasperation getting the better of her. Feeling that she would lose her temper if they continued any more, she gave him his notebook and put a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you go study for a while? Quiz yourself and when you think you're ready, come get me."

Looking at her hand on his shoulder, he blushed as he broke eye contact. Quickly gathering his books and throwing them in his book bag, Jake mumbled, "I-I'm going up to my room to study. I think I'd be able to concentrate better there. See you later, thanks Nell."

"No problem," Nell replied, watching as he ran out of the room. She let out a big sigh. She'd thought it first when he asked her to help him study. Then again when her hand brushed his when she'd first grabbed his notebook. And then when he kept stealing looks at her, from Alabama to Wisconsin.

No question about it. Jake had a crush on her.

_Oh, boy,_ she thought, wondering what to do. While he didn't _know_ she actually was his mother, the situation was still as strange as they came.

About to go watch some television, she paused when she heard the front door open. Seconds later Reba walked in the kitchen, removing the ponytail holder from her hair and shrugging out of her suit jacket. She looked at Nell while she walked over to the fridge. "Hey, what're you doing here? I thought Kyra had band practice."

"Um, I thought it was best not to go," Nell answered, taking a seat at the island.

Taking a bottle of water from the fridge, Reba opened it and took a sip. "Sorry, long day," she explained, drinking some more and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Anyway, I take it you and Kyra had a fight?"

"No! That's the problem!" Nell exclaimed. "She's been avoiding me! Of course, at school we're together but …she doesn't really talk to me. She's your daughter; you understand her. What'd I do?"

Reba hesitated, walking over to the island to face Nell. "I think, and I might be wrong about this, but I think that…since Kyra and _I_ had a fight, she feels weird being friends with…_you_. Since, technically, we are the same person."

"But I didn't do anything! This is so not fair!" Nell exclaimed.

Sighing, Reba replied, "Technically you did. Will do. You know what I mean. But I'm not saying _you_ did anything, but Kyra probably can't bring herself to be friends with_ you_ when she knows _me_…crap, this time travel stuff always gives me a headache."

"I think I get it.," Nell assured her. "It's still not fair. I'm gonna have to talk with her later. We were really starting to be friends and I'm not gonna let her ruin it 'cause she 'feels weird.'"

Reba shook her head and disbelief. "My younger self and Kyra friends. I think that's the weirdest part of this whole situation."

"Maybe, but I've got something that will come a close second," Nell retorted, her recent conversation with Jake in mind.

Intrigued, Reba replied, "Do tell."

"I think…at least I'm pretty sure…that your son has a crush on me," Nell admitted. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but he kept staring at me when I was helping him with his homework…"

Reba cracked a smile, chuckled, and then doubled over with laughter. "Oh my Lord!"

"I'm not kidding!" Nell argued, hot embarrassment flushing her cheeks.

Doing her best to recover, Reba blurted, "I know, that's why I'm laughing!"

"What?" Nell exclaimed, confused.

Reba stood up straight, fully recovered. Still, an amused smile pulled at her lips. "Man, talk about your Oedipus Complex."

"I know! What do I do?" Nell pleaded.

Taking a much needed sip of water, Reba answered, "I don't know! Find a way to…turn him off. Act like Kyra! He hates her!"

"Well, it's worth a shot," Nell agreed, shrugged. Then she went to the fridge and got a bottle of water for herself. "Hey, I'm gonna go watch TV. Unless you need help with dinner."

Reba hesitated, then began, "Um, speaking of crushes, there's actually something I want to talk to you about."

"What?" Nell asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

Pausing again, Reba continued, "About Brock. The man who came in the other day..."

"Oh, he's so dreamy! I can't believe you divorced him!" Nell squealed. Truth be told, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about Brock since. She couldn't wait until he came over again. "Scratch that. I can't believe I get to marry him!"

"Yeah, 'get to'…" Reba muttered. "Look, _Nell_, I'd appreciate it if you _didn't_ gawk at him when he comes over. It's a little embarrassing to see my younger self drooling over my ex-husband."

Narrowing her eyes, Nell retorted, "But he doesn't _know _I'm your younger self. No one does. Well, except for Kyra and Lori Ann."

"That's not the point! In fact, I'd love it if you just avoided him the whole time you were in this century," argued. Nell could tell from the tone of her older self's voice that it was an order, not a suggestion.

Nell crossed her arms. "Well, too bad! First Kyra's mad at me, now this? Considering that I'm here because _you_ need help, it's a little insulting that you're trying to make me feel as unwelcome as possible!"

"Well I didn't ask you to be here!" Reba yelled. Her eyes widened when she realized what she'd said. "Oh, Nell, I'm –"

"Sorry? Yeah, me too," Nell retorted. Needing to get out of the kitchen, she slammed her bottle of water on the island and stormed out the back door.

* * *

Sitting at the kitchen table with Lori Ann the next day, Reba took a sip of her tea. She was explaining how she'd fought with both her daughter and her younger self. "…then Nell stormed out of here and we haven't said a word to each other since. What the heck am I gonna do?"

"Wow," Lori Ann breathed, absentmindedly mixing her tea with her spoon. "Kinda brings new meaning to the phrase 'I'm mad at myself,' doesn't it?"

Reba glared at her. "This isn't funny!"

"I know! It's _weird_!" Lori Ann remarked, smirking.

Tilting her head, Reba admitted, "Well, I can't argue with that. But even if it is weird, I still don't want two eighteen-year-olds angry with me!"

"You're stuck with Kyra," Lori Ann said after a moment. "But what about the other you? Can't you…I dunno…send her back to her own time with whatever angel powers you've got?"

Reba laughed. "Let's get something straight. _I_ don't have any powers. _Terry_ does."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but not every human being has the ability to call up their guardian angel at will. There's gotta be something special about you," Lori Ann reasoned.

About to protest that that was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard, Reba hesitated. Lori Ann did have a point. Why _could_ she communicate with her guardian angel in ways that other people couldn't? "You're…you're being ridiculous. I was in a coma! Maybe something happened with my head, who knows."

"You're curious now, aren't you?" Lori Ann asked with a knowing smile.

Reba shook her head in stubborn denial. "No. I am a normal human being, and nothing you say is gonna change that."

"Alright then, prove it," :Lori Ann challenged.

Confused, Reba asked, "You want me to prove I'm human?"

"See, from what you told me, I'd bet you that Terry would come if you called for him," Lori Ann answered.

Reba shot her an aggravated look. "So? That just proves that Terry is a good listener."

"And that you have the ability to call him," Lori Ann added. "Come on, just try it! I want to see him again! I never did get a chance to go to his funeral."

Sighing, Reba replied, "I guess it's worth a shot. Maybe I can convince him to make 'Nell' go away."

"There's your silver lining. Now call for him!" Lori Ann ordered, eager anticipation in her eyes.

"How do I do this? Just shout his name?" When her friend nodded, Reba let out a deep breath. _I'm about to feel really stupid._ "Terry?"

Lori Ann rolled her eyes. "You're going to have to be louder than that."

"Terry!" Reba shouted. "Terry! Terry get your angel butt down here now!"

Lori Ann gave her a congratulatory pat on the shoulder. "There ya go! He's got to be deaf not to…"

She trailed off as golden light appeared in front of the island, then toned down to reveal Terry. His arms were crossed as he snapped, "_What_? I was busy with other…Lori Ann? Reba, what the heck is going on?"

Ignoring the fact that Lori Ann's mouth was hanging open in shock, Reba answered, "Nothing, Terry. Just come here."

"What? I don't have time for…"

"Just come here," Reba ordered. When he did, she smacked him upside his head. "What the hell are you trying to do to me, you mo_ron_?"

Terry rubbed the back of his head. "Ouch! I take it you're not happy to see you're eighteen-year-old self?"

"Do I look happy?" Reba retorted, glaring at him.

Staring between the two, Lori Ann blurted, "Oh my God! You really…he really…"

"Hey Lori Ann. Good to see you," Terry greeted, bending down to give her a hug.

Lori Ann gave him a stiff hug back, still stunned. "Hey. You'll have to excuse me…I'm just not used to seeing people walking around after they're dead."

"It's okay. What's this I hear about you not going to my funeral?" Terry teased.

Gaping at him, Lori Ann answered, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't think that…"

"Lori Ann, he's teasing you," Reba interrupted. Pulling Terry aside, she demanded, "Now, what are we going to do about my situation? You know, how it looks like I have a mini-clone?"

Terry held up his hands. "Sorry, Reba. I can't help you."

"What do you mean you can't help me?" Reba yelled, about to smack his head again.

Able to shield himself that time, Terry defended, "You know the rules. I can only bring you back when your wish is fulfilled. Basically, when you and Kyra come to an understanding."

"But we did come to an understanding…sort of!" Reba exclaimed.

Terry narrowed his eyes. "Oh yes, I can see that. That's why you two haven't talked in the past two days!"

"We…we came to a _silent_ understanding," Reba defended weakly.

Chuckling Terry put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know this isn't easy for you. But think about it this way – you get to resolve some issues that have always bugged you about your past. And here's a tip: deal with them, and repairing your relationship with Kyra will be much easier."

"I hate it when you're cryptic," Reba sighed. But she understood now. In order to accept Kyra and her decision, she needed to accept herself, and the decisions she made. "But you really can't bring my mini-me back to the seventies?" When Terry shook his head, she breathed, "Fine. You know, I think you enjoy driving me nuts."

"It's what I'm here for," Terry joked.

Reba was about to retort, but was distracted when the back door opened. Whirling around in terror, she swallowed the lump in her throat when she saw Barbara Jean standing in the doorway. "Oh, Barbara Jean, I can explain…"

"I hope you can, because this better not be what it looks like," Barbara Jean seethed, coming into the kitchen uninvited.

Positive her face was white as a sheet, Reba went to look back at Terry…only to find that he'd disappeared. She glanced at Lori Ann, who appeared just as clueless as she was, then turned back to Barbara Jean. "Wait…what the heck are _you_ talking about?"

"You're cheating on me!" Barbara Jean yelled, pointing at Lori Ann.

Standing up, Lori Ann putting a hand on her hip. "Well, isn't that the pot calling the kettle blonde!"

"I knew the second you came back to town you would try to steal my best friend," Barbara Jean shouted, walking over to Lori Ann.

Lori Ann wasn't afraid to close the gap. "She's not your best friend, you bimbo! She's mine! You were just keeping her occupied until I got back!"

Her heart breaking at Barbara Jean's crestfallen look, Reba stepped between the two and held out her hands. "Alright, time out! Stop it before I smack both of you upside the head!"

"Reba, tell her that isn't true!" Barbara Jean exclaimed.

Lori Ann smirked. "She already did, but frankly I don't believe it!"

"Well believe it, blondie!" Barbara Jean retorted, looking as if she might slap the other woman.

Raising her own hand, Lori Ann retorted, "Who you calling blondie, blondie?"

_Did Terry turn me invisible when I wasn't looking?_ Reba wondered. Rolling her eyes, she cupped her hands around her mouth. "Quiet! Both of you!" When they did, she pointed to the kitchen table. "Now, _sit down_…"

"Oh no," Barbara Jean said, shaking her head. "I'm not sitting down with a best friend stealer!"

Lori Ann snickered. "She was my best friend first! What do you know, you're a best friend stealer and a husband stealer!"

"Lori Ann!" Reba exclaimed. "If you really are my best friend you'd apologize to my other best friend for what you just said."

"Over my dead body!" Lori Ann scoffed.

Her face red, Barbara Jean walked toward the door. "I don't have to stand here and take this!"

"You don't have to! I was just leaving!" Lori Ann retorted, grabbing her purse and walking towards the front door.

Reba almost went after her, but remembered that she owed loyalty to Barbara Jean too. While Barbara jean made one of her "upset faces," she muttered, "Talk about being caught between a rock and a a hard place."


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for the wait! Been busy with some other fics and original stories. Thanks for all the reviews so far!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The day after her fight with Reba, Nell went for a walk around her future neighborhood. Though she wanted to think, she kept being distracted by the unusual scenery, from the clothes pedestrians like her wore to the ultra-modern cars that passed by. _I want to go home,_ Nell thought. _I miss Mama and Daddy. I miss _my_ Lori Ann and Terry. I shouldn't be here. This is all wrong._

None of that mattered, though. It didn't matter what _she_ felt or wanted…at least, not when she was this age. Everything depended on her _older_ self. And her older self didn't even want her there. It was like…Reba was ashamed of her, wanted to forget she ever existed. _Am I really that embarrassing?_

_You know, she should talk,_ Nell thought with renewed self-confidence. _I'm not exactly happy about what I'm supposed to be. A real estate agent/soccer mom? Not the most glamorous life I could end up with._

She turned a corner and realized she was on Brock and Barbara Jean's block, since she'd gone there with Kyra once. She smiled when she saw Brock playing with Henry in the front yard. Remembering she was supposed to be Kyra's friend and not his future wife, Nell waved, "Hi, Br…Mr. Hart."

"Hi, Nell," Brock replied, looking up from where he was helping Henry build a tower with blocks. "What are you doing here?"

Nell shrugged, staying on the edge of the house's lawn. "Um, nothing, just out for a walk."

"By yourself? Where's Kyra?" Brock asked.

"Um, well, we're kind of…fighting right now," Nell admitted. While what was mostly bothering her was her fight with Reba, she figured it sounded weird for a normal teenager to have a fight with a friend's mother. Besides, she _was_ on the outs with Kyra too, unfortunately. "She's at band practice and I figured I'd get out a little."

Brock frowned in sympathy. "Oh, sorry to hear that. Anything I can help with?"

"No, I don't think so," Nell answered, trying to conceal a smirk. _If he only knew._

Noting that she was still on the sidewalk, Brock offered, "Well, you can hang out here as long as you want. I wouldn't go inside though."

"Why not?" Nell questioned, sitting on the steps that led up to the front door.

Brock gave her a sheepish grin. "Barbara Jean's upset. And when she's upset she…reorganizes her Beanie Baby collection."

"O_kay_ then," Nell sighed, deciding not to ask what a Beanie Baby was. "What's she upset about?"

Thinking for a second, Brock confessed, "I…don't know. All I know is she came from Reba's house all upset the other day and hasn't said much since. And something about a 'best-friend stealing floozy.'"

"Daddy! You're supposed to be helping me!" Henry exclaimed, pointing to the unfinished block castle they'd been building.

Nell almost jumped. The child was so quiet that she'd barely noticed he was there. Kneeling on the grass next to him, Nell said, "I'll help you, Henry."

"Thank you…" Henry trailed off in confusion.

Chuckling, Nell said, "It's Nell. Now, how high do you want this castle to be?"

"Really high!" Henry exclaimed, putting another block on a tower.

Brock watched quietly for a moment before observing, "You know, you're really good with kids. Cheyenne said you offered to baby-sit Elizabeth. And Jake told me you were helping him with his homework the other day."

_And look where that got me,_ Nell thought. "Um, yeah I guess. I hope to have kids of my own one day."

"I'm sure you will," Brock replied, kneeling down to help them with the tower.

Suppressing a laugh, Nell couldn't resist thinking that it was nice knowing at least that part of her future. It had been great learning she would one day be not only a mother but a grandmother as well. "Yeah, me too."

"Brock, could you come up and help me with…" Barbara Jean paused when she walked out the front door, a cleaning rag in one hand and a lint brush in the other. "Oh, hi. You're Kyra's friend, right? Cheyenne said you looked a lot like Reba."

Nell blushed as she got up to shake Barbara Jean's outstretched hand. "Everyone's been saying that. Nice to finally meet you."

:"Yeah, I'm surprised I haven't bumped into you sooner," Barbara Jean remarked. "But I guess since I usually go over Reba's when you and Kyra are at school, we never crossed paths."

Nodding, Nell replied, "Um, yeah I guess. But Kyra's told me all about you."

"Do I even want to know?" Barbara Jean asked.

Nell laughed. Honestly, during one of her first nights in this time period, Kyra had told her all about Barbara Jean…and that she was really a good person. She couldn't imagine how such a 'sweet person' would steal her husband one day, but she'd guess she'd find out eventually. "No, it's okay, she said only good things."

"Oh, that's nice," Barbara Jean said. "I'm sure I'll see you at Reba's. How long are you staying?"

Hesitating a moment, Nell explained, "Um, I don't really know. My parents aren't sure when they'll be back from their business trip."

"Oh. Well, I'd love to chat, but I need Brock's help with some cleaning I'm doing,": Barbara Jean informed her, giving Brock a pointed look.

Brock groaned. "Don't tell me you can't reach 'Zip the Cat' again. That happened last time!"

"I know! But I need to put him next to 'Fletcher the dog' or he'll be lonely!" Barbara Jean exclaimed.

Giving Nell an apologetic look, Brock said, "I gotta go, or 'Zip' will be lonely. Come on, Henry, you can finish building later."

"Oh, alright. Bye Nell!" Henry waved, following his parents inside.

Waving good-bye to all three of them, Nell turned around and decided to go back to her temporary home.

A thought had occurred to her while she'd watched Brock talk with Barbara Jean. She knew she had a little crush on Brock, and it'd hurt to see him attached to another woman.

It was clear now how much that must hurt her older self to see her younger self nuts over that great guy. Especially when Reba had to see her ex-husband with someone else. Seeing Nell have a crush on Brock must remind her of the marriage she once had.

Sighing, Nell felt somewhat better as she walked up her future house's front porch. Maybe if she had a talk with Reba they would finally figure out a way to send her home.

* * *

"There's something weird about Nell," Cheyenne said. She was lying on the couch, exhausted from another day of being a few months pregnant. Elizabeth was watching some kid show she didn't know the name of, and Van was working on installing the air conditioner in the living room window.

Struggling with the air conditioner, Van breathed, "You mean…how she's…friends with…Kyra…and she's…so nice?" He let out the last part of the statement in one gasp, wincing as the air conditioner unit fell on his foot. "Oh wow, that hurts!"

"Yeah, but that's not just it," Cheyenne agreed, too wrapped up in her own thoughts to pay attention to the fact that Van was clutching his foot and hopping around the living room.

Elizabeth giggled and pointed at her father. "You're funny, Daddy!"

"What is she…" Cheyenne turned around to find Van hopping in place. "Oh my God, Van, are you okay?"

Glaring at her, Van retorted, "Just fine, honey. Wouldn't want you to get off your pregnant butt and get me an ice pack or anything."

"Okay, if you say so," Cheyenne replied, going back to her thoughts. When Van sent her a 'I was being sarcastic' look, she sighed and look at Elizabeth. "Honey, can you go get Daddy the ice pack out of the freezer?"

Nodding, Elizabeth ran into the kitchen. Letting out a breath of relief, Van remarked, "God bless that precious child."

"Van, focus, we have to figure out this 'Nell' situation," Cheyenne demanded, using air quotes around the teenager's name.

Shrugging, Van managed to hop over to the sofa and sit next to his wife's feet. "There's no situation! She's Kyra's friend who's staying for a little while!"

"Who looks a lot like Mom. A _lot_ like Mom. In fact, it's a little creepy when you see them together," Cheyenne shivered. In the few days since Nell came into their lives, Cheyenne had gotten to see her a few times since she spent so much time at her mother's house these days.

Van raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at, Cheyenne? You think Mrs. H cloned herself?" He paused, absentmindedly rubbing his foot. "'Cause that would be kind of cool. Though I don't think Mr. H would be okay with it."

"No, not that! Let's be realistic, here," Cheyenne argued, rolling her eyes.

About to say something, Van stopped when Elizabeth came back into the living room, carrying a bright object in her hands. She handed it to her father and continued to watch television. "Well, thank you sweetie…" He trailed off when he realized it was an ice pop. "Great, now my foot is going to taste like strawberries!" Then he grinned as he put the ice pop on his swollen foot. "Awesome!"

"It's just…the whole situation seems very weird," Cheyenne continued, ignoring her husband's antics. "I mean, none of us even knew Nell would be coming until she was here."

Van shrugged. "Maybe Mrs. H never thought to mention it. After all, we don't live in the same house anymore."

"I guess. I feel so out of the loop!" Cheyenne whined.

"Then get back in the loop," Van suggested. "Maybe you don't talk to Mrs. H as much as you thought you did. She does work a lot."

Cheyenne tilted her head in thought. "Maybe. Or maybe she was keeping this from us on purpose! And Kyra must be in on it too. She and Mom have been close lately."

"Well, you have a point there. There have been a few times when I walked in and they stopped talking about whatever they were talking about," Van confessed.

Wrinkling her brow, Cheyenne replied, "Yeah! They've done that to me too! And it's been happening ever since…ever since…ever since Mom was in that coma!"

"Yeah, Mrs. H and Kyra _were_ acting all weird and cryptic a few days after that happened," Van agreed. "Alright, I'll give you that you're not completely crazy and that something _is_ going on. And that whatever it is, Kyra knows too. You think Mr. H and Barbara Jean…"

Cheyenne shook her head. "No. Barbara Jean and I have talked about this a few times. It's killing her that Mom has some big secret."

"You know, we've gotta be jumping to conclusions. This is _Mrs. H_ we're talking about. She's not mysterious," Van said, then laughed at the idea.

Sitting up in her seat, Cheyenne began to think aloud. "We must be missing _something_. Nell's just too like Mom for them not to be connected or related somehow. And the way she just _showed up_ one day…Elizabeth, why did you call Nell 'Grandma Reba'?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth shrugged, not even glancing at her curious parents while she watched her show. "She looks like her. And I get this…_feeling_ that her and Grandma Reba are really the same."

Sharing a confused glance with Van, Cheyenne pressed, "The same? What do you mean?"

"You know, the same," Elizabeth said, shrugging one of her shoulders.

Cheyenne leaned in to whisper to Van so that her daughter didn't hear. "If that's not proof of something weird, then I don't know what is!"

"Look, be realistic, Cheyenne," Van insisted. "She's Kyra's friend. You can't just _go up to her_ and accuse her of being whatever you think she is. You need solid proof, not the word of a six-year-old!" He hesitated, then added, "Although…"

Her eyes widening in curiosity, Cheyenne asked, "Although what?"

"Now, I'm not saying there's any connection with Nell and this," Van answered. "But…one day, a few weeks ago, and I walked into Mrs. H's living room. I'd left some papers there, so I was getting them in the living room and…I heard her talking to someone. She had a whole, weird conversation with him…it was definitely a man's voice…but when I walked in to talk to her, there was no one there. And when I asked her about the man, she got all panicky and replied, 'What man?' Then she changed the subject."

"That's so weird. You know, Barbara Jean thought she heard Mom talking to a man the other day, then she walked in and there was only Mom and Lori Ann," Cheyenne told him, intrigued by his story. _What is Mom up to?_

Putting a hand on his wife's shoulder, Van suggested, "You don't think she's schizo, do you? And this 'guy' is her alter-ego?"

"No! Van, Mom is _not_ insane!" Cheyenne exclaimed, brushing his hand off her shoulder.

"Then what? Van asked, aggravated. "We've run out of logical explanations!"

Growing frustrated, Cheyenne got up off the couch with some effort and went to the door. "I'm going to find out 'what.' I'll be at Mom's, stay here, watch Elizabeth…and keep icing your foot."

Minutes later she was walking into her mother's living room. She paused when she heard arguing coming from the kitchen. Somehow managing to crouch under the open dividing window, Cheyenne realized that Kyra was having a fight with her mother.

_Then again…_ A discreet glance in the kitchen proved that Kyra wasn't arguing with her mother, but Nell. _Hah! Another similarity! They sound _exactly_ the same!_

"Nothing's wrong, Nell!" Kyra was saying in an aggravated tone.

"Yes there is! We were getting along great, and then you just stopped talking to me! Is it because you had a fight with your mom?"

"No! That a different thing"

"That's bull, Kyra! You're mad at your mom, and therefore, you feel you have to be mad at me. But I didn't do anything! At least, not yet…oh, you know what I mean!"

"Alright, fine, maybe a little! But this whole thing is so weird that I don't know _what_ to do! I mean, _you're Mom_!"

Still crouched under the window, Cheyenne stifled a gasp. _What's that supposed to mean?_

"Okay, so technically I _am_ your mother," Nell agreed. "But I don't _become_ her for another…what…_thirty_ years? You can't blame me for something I do in another timeline!'"

"Yeah, I guess." There was a moment's hesitation, then Kyra sighed. "I'm sorry…_Nell_. You just have to understand that all this is a little…_overwhelming_, to say the least. It's hard enough to handle one Mom, now I'm supposed to deal with _two_?"

"That's okay. But this is weird for me too. I miss 1973!"

"…really?"

"Hey, no making fun of my decade!"

The two laughed, and much to her horror Cheyenne realized that the two were coming into the living room. Panicking, she glanced around, then ran as fast as her pregnant self could carry her and hid behind the easy chair. When they went upstairs, Cheyenne got up and dashed out the door. Out on the porch, she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

What she did know was that the conversation she just heard did not make sense at all.


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: In the first section, it's mentioned that downtown Houston is a seedy area. Just for the record, I really have no idea what the actual downtown Houston is like, it could be quite nice for all I know. But I needed a seedy area, and since I'm too much of a lazy butt to look one up or make up a name, downtown Houston it is. I apologize if anyone reading this story is from there.

And I just realized that Elizabeth should be five, not six, and in kindergarten, so just ignore any errors I may have previously made.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Her head in her hands, Kyra paused to catch her breath. She and Nell, who she'd renewed her friendship with yesterday, were in Skyler's apartment for another band practice. However, before they started playing, Kyra had to break the bad news that she might not be able to afford the New York City trip. She'd just finished, and the rest of her band was taking the information in.

"…I'm sorry, guys," Kyra sighed. "But my mom is being totally uncool about this college thing. She wants me to make some list about what I would do if we didn't make it."

Skyler raised an eyebrow. "Well, you can't do that."

"Why not? It doesn't sound that bad to me," Nell argued.

Glaring at her, Skyler retorted, "Because that would mean giving in to something her mother wants. She's eighteen, she shouldn't need to depend on her parents. We'll figure out how to get that money on our own."

"I doubt it. I checked online, and tickets cost at _least_ $250," Kyra groaned, with a sidelong glance at Nell that clearly said, 'Defending parents equals not cool.' She tried to ignore the fact that she'd been considering accepting her mother's offer only a few days ago.

Putting a comforting hand on Kyra's shoulder, Cody remarked, "This sucks, man. We can't do this without you."

"Yeah, I mean, we're 'The Kyra Hart Band,'" Bryce whined. "Without you, we'd just be…'The Band.' And that's not original."

Kyra managed a small chuckle. "But what are we going to do? All the money from gigs has to be saved for the rest of the tour. If we dip into that, we can kiss good-bye at least a state or two."

"You don't have any other money? A bank account or anything?" Nell asked, frowning as she tried to help them think of something.

Shaking her head, Kyra answered, "I do, but I _just_ turned eighteen. I won't be able to access my 'college fund' for a while."

"This really bites," Skyler moaned, sitting on a chair backwards. His head on the back, he mused, "There's gotta be something we're missing."

Getting an idea, Cody grabbed his laptop from the windowsill, put it on the table and booted it up. Then he started clicking and typing.

"What the heck are you doing?" Kyra asked. Noting that Nell had a bewildered look on her face, she leaned in and whispered, "It's a laptop computer. I'll explain later."

Not hearing the whisper, Cody explained, "Remember when we were doing 'Battle of the Bands' competitions? We earned some pretty sweet cash. If there's one soon we might be able to pay for the ticket with the winnings."

"That's genius! Now why didn't I think of that…" Kyra replied, filled with renewed hope.

After a few minutes of searching the internet, Bryce pointed at the screen. "Click on that. It's in Houston."

"'The First Annual Battle of the Bands,'" Skyler read. "'If you've got a band, come to the Lite and Easy Bar in downtown Houston on Saturday night, April 14th 2007. Don't worry about signing up, just show up with your instruments and get ready to jam. First prize is $500.' That's perfect!"

Kyra frowned, studying the information on the screen. "Downtown Houston. I've been there once. I wouldn't take your new car, Skyler."

"Aw, what, you scared?" Skyler teased.

Glaring at him, Kyra argued, "Of course not. Did I say I wasn't going?"

"Maybe you should've. Kyra, you're my friend, I don't want you to die," Nell protested.

Giving Nell an exasperated glare, Kyra reasoned, "We would just be going to a contest, what's the big deal? It's not like we're going to hang out and make new friends."

"Yeah, you could even come if you want," Cody offered. "I think there'd be room in the car for you."

Nell hesitated, looking at Kyra, who shrugged with indifference. "I don't know. I'll have to think about it."

"It would be cool if you could come. We'd have our own roadie," Bryce joked

Focusing on the computer screen, Kyra tried to decide if she would be bothered by Nell coming. Technically, she was her mom, and having her mom at a band contest was definitely not cool. But, as Nell pointed out, the redhead wouldn't _become_ the Reba Hart Kyra knew and loved for at least another thirty years. And, biological weirdness aside, Nell was becoming a close friend. It might be nice to have someone in the audience cheering them on. Clearing her throat, Kyra agreed, "Yeah, Nell, you should come."

"Really?" Nell asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow. "Um, maybe. Like I said, I'll have to think about it."

The group settled into a comfortable silence, then Skyler looked at the clock. "Hey, guys, you better get out of here. Gotta start getting ready for a date tonight."

"Who is it tonight? That chic you went out with last week?" Cody asked, gathering his laptop and other gear.

Skyler shook his head. "Nope."

"The one two weeks ago?" Bryce inquired.

Once again, Skyler shook his head. "Nope."

Kyra put a hand on her hip. "Then who?"

"Some chic I met at a bar," Skyler answered, ushering them all out the door.

One step in the hallway, Kyra stalled long enough to glare at him. "You disgust me."

* * *

"We're going to settle this right _now_," Reba ordered. While Kyra was at band practice and Jake was at a friend's house, she'd invited both Lori Ann and Barbara Jean over. No, she wasn't crazy…on this point, at least. While she didn't have a definite plan, she figured bringing them together would be better than letting them stay apart until their problem was beyond repair.

Shifting his position in the easy chair, Brock stared at the three women on the couch. When he heard why Reba had wanted his wife to come over, he'd offered to come along in case Reba needed a referee able to pull two women apart. "Is this really necessary, Reba? Can't you just see them at different times?"

"No!" Reba argued. "They're both my best friends, and I want them to get along."

With a glare at the other blonde woman, Lori Ann remarked, "She's _not_ your best friend."

"I am too," Barbara Jean argued, equally angry.

Lori Ann put a hand on her hip. "You are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

"That's _enough_!" Reba roared, slapping each of her friends upside their heads. "Shut up or I'm putting both of you in time out!"

Sticking her tongue out at Lori Ann, Barbara Jean protested, "She started it!"

"Did not!" Lori Ann argued.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

Feeling a headache coming on, Reba put two fingers in her mouth and whistled as loud as she could. Both grown women stopped fighting and turned to stare at her. "Okay, you," she ordered, pointing at Barbara Jean, then at the other easy chair. "Sit. Over there."

"Why me? Why not her?" Barbara Jean asked with a pout.

Reba narrowed her eyes. "Because I said so." There was a moment where Barbara Jean pretended that she wasn't intimidated. Then two seconds later she went over and sat on the other easy chair. Satisfied, Reba moved to the other end of the couch and let out a deep breath. "Okay, let's try this again…what now?"

The front door opened. Cheyenne and Van came in, straight from work and class, respectively. "Hey, everyone," Van greeted. "We're here to pick up Elizabeth."

"She's upstairs watching TV in Kyra's room. I already gave her dinner," Reba told them, still focused on the two blondes.

"Thanks Mrs. H," Van called, heading up the stairs to get his daughter.

Walking towards the living room, Cheyenne stared at the four adults. "What's going on?"

"Your mother seems to think she can resolve the battle of the blondes," Brock informed her, watching the scene with an amused look on his face.

Cheyenne glanced at him with honest confusion. "You and Barbara Jean are fighting again?"

"Good one, Cheyenne!" Lori Ann blurted, doubling over in laughter.

Chuckling herself, Reba explained, "No, _Lori Ann_ and Barbara Jean are fighting, and I'm sick of it."

"I don't get it," Brock admitted. "Why can't you _both_ be Reba's best friend?"

Barbara Jean glowered at him. "Excuse me? Who's side are you on?"

"Yours of course, but I just think it's a little…never mind," Brock sighed, breaking down under his wife's steady gaze.

Still a little bewildered, Cheyenne reasoned, "I don't get it. I had tons of BFF's when I was in high school. And I had different ones every week."

"BFF's?" Lori Ann asked.

Cheyenne rolled her eyes. "Best friends forever? Duh!"

"I'm sorry, I don't speak modern teenager," Lori Ann retorted.

Coming down the stairs with Elizabeth, unsuspecting Van walked into the midst of the tension. "So, what's everybody doing?"

"Giving me a headache," Reba replied before anyone else could. "Look, Lori Ann, Barbara Jean, I'm not asking that you two suddenly become 'BFF's.' All I'm asking is that you each of you understand my friendship with the other. And act civilly toward each other when you happen to cross paths, God forbid."

Letting out a deep sigh, Lori Ann admitted, "I know, I'm just having a hard time accepting the fact that you and Barbara Jean are even friends, let alone best friends. Last time I checked Reba had changed the locks when Barbara Jean kept coming in by using the key under the welcome mat."

"That was pretty funny," Van said, laughing. "I remember, Barbara Jean spent an hour out there, trying every spare key she'd swiped."

"I've chosen to forget that incident," Barbara Jean huffed, obviously hurt. Changing the subject, she asked Van, "What do you think? You haven't said anything yet."

Though squirming when Barbara Jean glared at him, Van stood near Lori Ann. "I have to say, I'm sorry Barbara Jean, but I'm siding with Lori Ann on this one. She was Mrs. H's best friend first. Finder's keepers, losers weepers."

Reba glared at him. "'Finder's keepers, losers weepers'? I am not a quarter someone dropped on the sidewalk!"

"Face it, Barbara Jean. Lori Ann has dibs," Van argued. "You were just keeping Mrs. H company until she got back."

Smiling at Van, Lori Ann patted the hand he had on the sofa's arm. "I knew I always liked you."

"Van!" Cheyenne chided, her and Elizabeth going over to stand next to Barbara Jean. "I disagree. Lori Ann moved away. That officially means she no longer holds the BFF title."

Barbara Jean turned and grinned at Cheyenne. "Thank you!"

"Looks like it's up to you, Reba," Brock pointed out. "Who do you side with?"

Closing her eyes, Reba lat out a deep calming breath. With all her other problems, she really couldn't take this right now. She felt the eyes of the other people in the room on her and briefly wished for once that she had Terry's power to disappear.

* * *

Leaning against the back of the couch, Nell let out an exhausted sigh. She was baby-sitting Elizabeth. The whole house was empty. Reba was at work, as well as Van, Kyra and Jake weren't home from school yet (she'd chosen to stay home today; she needed a break from future high school), and Cheyenne needed to run some errands. While Cheyenne was a little suspicious that Nell was home while Kyra wasn't, Nell had quickly lied and said she had the last two class periods free.

Now Nell was on her back, a determined five-year-old trying to tickle her to death. "Elizabeth! Elizabeth, stop it!" Nell shouted, rolling from side to side in order to avoid the child's advances. "You…are going…to be so…sorry when…I catch my breath!"

"_If_ you catch your breath," Elizabeth giggled, aiming for the teen's armpits.

Snapping her arms to her side, Nell twisted and turned even more. "No! No, don't! It's _torture_…"

"Too bad!" Elizabeth squealed.

They both looked up when the door opened, and Kyra walked in. Giving Nell an amused glance, she asked, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Yes!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "It's a tickle fight! You want to help, Aunt Kyra?"

"Um, no thanks, I've got homework," Kyra answered, not very enticed by the offer.

Laughing, Nell paused when she realized that Elizabeth had called the other teen "Aunt Kyra." She couldn't help but be reminded that the technically, the child who was only twelve years younger than her would be her granddaughter one day. "Alright, kiddo," Nell ordered, gently pushing the child off her stomach. "You have homework too, don't you?"

"Aw, Grandma Reba, I don't want to," Elizabeth protested.

Both teens groaned at what the child had called Nell, but decided it wasn't worth trying to argue with Elizabeth again. Picking up Elizabeth's backpack, Nell handed it to the child. "Come on, how are you going to take _first_ _grade_ when you can't even handle kindergarten?"

"I'll stay in kindergarten forever. I don't mind," Elizabeth pouted, crossing her arms across her middle.

Walking further into the living room, Kyra pressed, "Kid, just think about it. All your friends are going to get to move on to bigger and better things without you. When you're still stuck taking naps…"

"All your friends are going to be learning how to add and read books," Nell finished.

Elizabeth was quiet for a moment, then with a resigned sigh grabbed her backpack and stomped into the kitchen. "You better help me!" she called.

"I'll be right there!" Nell assured her. Turning to Kyra, she asked, "So, how was school?"

Shrugging, Kyra replied, "Same old school, no big deal. By the way, did you decide if you're coming to the concert on Saturday?"

"I don't know, Kyra," Nell admitted, the question catching her off guard. "It sounds a little…dangerous. If something happens to me, _you're_ never born."

Kyra raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think of that. But you're being paranoid, nothing's going to happen. Like I said, I was there once."

"Maybe. And I do want to see you play before I…go home," Nell mused aloud.

"And there's no reason why you should worry," Kyra pointed out. "We'll have three muscular guy who would kill anyone who so much as hit on us. Trust me, it's going to be fine."

_I don't like this,_ Nell thought. It also occurred to her that, as far as she knew, Kyra hadn't told her mother about this. "Maybe we should tell your mom where we're going, just in case."

"No way! She'll totally freak. There's no reason to freak her out for nothing. It's not like I need her permission to go, I'm eighteen," Kyra argued.

Though she didn't feel good about it, Nell nodded. "Alright, I'll come."

"Great. We should go shopping and get you a new outfit before then, though," Kyra told her, heading back up the stairs.

About to say something, Nell paused when she heard a noise from behind her. Elizabeth was standing there with her hands on her hips. Trying not to laugh, Nell asked, "What?"

"I'm _waiting_! You want me to do all this homework by myself?" Elizabeth huffed, turning on her heels and marching back into the kitchen.

Once she left, the teens doubled over with laughter. Recovering, Kyra said, "I'm going to do some homework. See you later."

"Okay," Nell replied, going into the kitchen to help Elizabeth. She sat down at the kitchen table, where the child had set up her homework and other papers.

They worked for a little while, and Nell was surprised at how much homework a kindergartner could have. Then Elizabeth went to watch television when they were done. Nell was just about finished cleaning up when the back door opened and Jake walked in. "Hey, Jake," she greeted, remembering her plan to "turn him off." "You're home late."

"I had detention," Jake replied casually, grabbing a snack from the counter.

Confused by Jake's nonchalant attitude, Nell asked, "Detention?"

"Yeah," Jake answered, taking a seat at the island. "See, this guy was saying bad things about this girl, Allison. So I punched him. It felt _really_ good."

Nell breathed a sigh of relief. "So you like this Allison girl now, right? No one else?"

"Yeah, who'd you _think_ I liked?" Jake asked.

Blushing with embarrassment, Nell explained, "It's just that, when we were studying, you kept staring at me, so I thought…"

"I was trying to see the answers in my notebook," Jake explained, chuckling. "Mom left her compact mirror behind you, and it was reflecting the answers! You thought I liked you? Why, do you like me?"

Now completely humiliated, Nell answered, "No! I mean, not that way! I just thought…oh, let's just pretend this conversation never happened."

Jake smiled at her on his way to the living room, some cookies in his hand. "Nell, if it makes you feel any better, you're a great person. You're just not my type."

Holding back a chuckle, Nell waited until he was out of earshot to lean back against her chair and exclaim, "Thank God!"


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: **First of all, thanks for all your reviews! You guys are awesome!

Second, I have to apologize if the second part of this chapter is a little...off. I'm updating this at 2 in the morning and I finished writing it only a few minutes ago (it always happens; I say I'm going to write something all day long and then I cram it in between eleven at night and two in the morning, go figure). So if there's mistakes or it just seems a little weird, that's just the tiredness speaking. I'll look at it tomorrow and if I feel like it needs to be fixed, I will.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_Stop shaking,_ Reba ordered herself. It was Monday night, hours after Nell had watched Elizabeth. She'd just gotten home from showing a house and rushed upstairs to change into appropriate clothes for a dinner date. In just thirty minutes, she would be meeting Adam, the guy she met at the bar when she went out with Lori Ann. They would've gone out that weekend, but Adam had claimed he had plans. Reba might have taken that as a brush off if he hadn't called the first thing Monday morning and asked her to dinner that night.

Now she was in the living room, rushing around, trying to finish getting ready without having a nervous break down. Her hands shaking while she found her compact mirror and held it up, she thought, _What was I thinking making a date? Between Lori Ann and Barbara Jean, Kyra, and Nell I don't have time for this. What was I _thinking

_I was _thinking_ that if I don't have a relationship now I'll forget what it's like,_ Reba thought, answering her own question. Besides, if she needed an excuse to make things right in her mind she could always say that Lori Ann talked her into it.

Stuffing the compact in her purse, she went from the kitchen into the living room. Kyra and Nell were watching television. "Hey, you two, I'm going to meet Adam in a few minutes. You sure if you two will be okay for the night?"

"Mom, I've been staying home by myself for years, we'll be fine. Go have fun," Kyra insisted. "Come back with my new daddy."

Reba put a hand on her hip. "You say that in front of him and you're grounded for a year. I don't care if you are eighteen."

"Don't worry about us," Nell pressed. "I mean, if I'm you, then technically you're here to make sure everything's okay."

Wrapping her mind around that logic, Reba had to admit she had a point. "Alright. I don't know why I'm so worried. I've left you alone before. Heck, I've left _Jake_ alone before."

"I think that you're transferring your anxiety about your date to what might happen while you're gone," Kyra said. When the other two stared at her, she explained, "Psych class. Who knew it'd come in handy one day?"

Reba hesitated, considering the theory. When she needed to work late, she didn't mind calling up the kids and telling them to fend for themselves. And, come to think of it, she wasn't nervous at all about actually meeting with Adam, who she'd only talked to a few times over the phone since meeting him. "You know, Kyra, you may be right about this. In that case, I'd better keep worrying or I'll lose my nerve and cancel on him. What are you two doing tonight?"

Pointing to the books scattered on the coffee table, Kyra explained, "Studying for my history test. Turns out it's a lot easier to learn about the sixties and seventies when you have someone who was there only a week ago."

"And I'm happy to be of service. Kyra's going to tell me all about this decade when we're done," Nell added, holding up the history textbook she'd been reading with interest.

_This is never going to stop being weird, is it?_ Reba thought. "Aw, I remember when I was your age, hanging out, sharing stories about the different decades we were from…" Shaking her head, she called up the stairs, "Jake, I'm leaving! Don't do anything bad and be in bed by ten!"

"Al_right_," Jake whined, obviously annoyed by the interruption.

Once in her car, Reba paused before she turned on the ignition. _Kyra and Nell were awfully nice to me in there, considering I'm supposed to be public enemy number one. They must be up to something._

She decided to ignore that and concentrate on one problem at a time. After only a few minutes she found a spot in front of the Italian place they were meeting. Checking her hair and makeup one last time in the rearview mirror, she went into the restaurant and walked up to the host's desk. "Hi, um, I'm just meeting someone. I was told the reservation would be under 'Adam'?"

"Ah, yes, Mr. Jacobson is already here. I will take you to his table," the host replied, walking into the restaurant towards a table in the back.

Bracing herself, she was sitting a table across from Adam. "Hi," she greeted.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about the weekend," Adam began. "I know 'I have plans' sounds very vague, like an excuse, but I was afraid if I told you you'd…think less of me."

Almost afraid to ask, Reba replied, "Aw come on, it can't be that bad."

"Well, the thing is, my close friend had his bachelor party in Vegas," Adam explained, his face red with embarrassment.

Chuckling, Reba assured him, "It's okay, no need to go any further. After all, this is only our first date, no reason you should have to explain yourself to me."

Before the conversation could continue, a waiter came and ordered their drinks. Reba took the time to study her date. He was definitely handsome. Though she couldn't tell because he was sitting down, she would've bet he was at least a head taller than her. Muscle showed through his blue Polo t-shirt, and the rest of him was tan. Soft but short brown hair fell over broad features and deep green eyes.

"So, let's get the small talk out of the way – what do you do for a living?" Adam asked.

Startled, Reba let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, uh, I'm in the real estate business. I'm not very prominent but I'll work my way up. What about you? Your card said you were a store manager."

"Not anymore," Adam confessed. "I quit after a few months and kept the cards. I'm a social worker now."

"That's a big leap," Reba remarked, impressed.

Adam shrugged. "I guess. I've always wanted to help people. It just took me a while to realize that I wasn't going to do it managing the shoe department at a chain department store."

"Well, you must've done some good. People need shoes," Reba joked.

They continued to chat throughout the meal with a minimal amount of awkward silences. Conversation ranged from their jobs, to their personal interests, to their families. Reba even found herself explaining about her situation with Brock and Barbara Jean when he mentioned that he'd been previously married. She couldn't help herself; he seemed so interested in everything she had to say.

Eventually they came to the end of their meal, and he picked up the tab. When they were in front of the restaurant, Adam remarked, "You know, I had a great time tonight."

After a moment of thinking, Reba nodded. "Yeah. Me too."

"You sound surprised," Adam pointed out.

Shrugging, Reba explained, "Sorry. I know this might not put me in the best light, but…I don't do this dating thing much."

"Well, maybe you should," Adam said, kissing her on the cheek. "Want me to walk you back to your car?"

Cursing the supposed luck of finding a close parking spot, Reba pointed across the street. "I'm right there. Want me to walk with you to yours?"

With a sheepish grin Adam pointed to a truck three spots away. "That's me over there. I'll call you during the week, if that's okay."

"That's definitely okay," Reba replied, enjoying the view of his behind while she watched him walk to his truck.

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Cheyenne asked, bursting with eagerness. It was the next day, and she'd rushed over to her mother's house with Elizabeth as soon as she'd heard about the impromptu dinner date. She was thrilled that her mother was getting out, but it surprised her when she heard that her mother had picked up the guy at a bar.

Blushing, Reba smiled. "Great. We really hit it off. He's so sweet and considerate…I'm not going to like it when I do eventually figure out what's wrong with him."

"Aw, Mom, you always do this. Did you ever stop to think that he just might be perfect for you?" Cheyenne pointed out, taking a sip of her decaf tea to calm herself down. The two were in the kitchen, having an afternoon snack before Reba went to show a house in a few minutes.

Reba raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about that. We've only been on one date."

"One 'great' date," Cheyenne retorted, enjoying the way her mother behaved when she talked about her latest love interest.

"So how's Van?" Reba asked, changing the subject. "I haven't seen him much since we don't work together anymore."

Cheyenne shrugged. "He's good, he works a lot. Like, a _lot_. But we spend a lot of time together as a family on the weekends. And he pampers me when he can because of the baby."

"Oh right, how is Brock Jr.? Didn't you have a doctor's appointment?" Reba asked.

Shuddering, Cheyenne replied, "Please, Mom. Don't call the baby 'Brock Jr.,' especially in front of Dad. I'm hoping that Dad will give up on me and wait for Kyra to have her first devil spawn."

"Cheyenne…" Reba chided, but didn't continued when her gaze fell on the clock. "Oh, shoot, I have to go. I'm sorry, sweetie, we'll have to talk later."

Trying several times to get up, Cheyenne managed to stand and began clearing the table. "It's okay. Go to work. Elizabeth and I will go home as soon as Van gets here."

"Right, you said that Van was coming over to pick up the doll house," Reba remembered. While going through the attic, she'd come across Cheyenne's old doll house. Van was coming to bring it to their house so that Elizabeth could use it. "Well, tell him I said hi, and I'll see you later."

"Bye Mom," Cheyenne called. Walking into the living room, she ordered, "Elizabeth, put all your toys in your bag, okay? We're leaving."

Looking up from the picture book she'd been reading, Elizabeth pleaded, "Five more minutes Mommy, please?"

Cheyenne hesitated. Van still might be a few minutes, and she did need to clear off the kitchen table. "Alright, five more minutes."

While she cleaned, Cheyenne couldn't help but hope that Kyra and Nell would return from band practice before she had to leave. While she'd been too excited about the date to really bug her mother about the secret, she wouldn't hesitate to bombard Kyra with questions the second she walked through the door.

Not to mention that she had a huge bargaining chip up her sleeve. Last night Elizabeth mentioned how Aunt Kyra and her friend were planning on going to a dangerous place, and then something about Nell wanting to see Aunt Kyra play on Saturday. Cheyenne put two and two together and realized that the teens must be planning on going to a dangerous neighborhood, where the band has a gig.

Now Cheyenne wasn't stupid. While Kyra acted like their mother had no control over her, Cheyenne knew better. Kyra would do anything to make sure that Reba did not find out about this gig…like spill the big secret she's been keeping.

_Besides, how big a secret can it be?_ Cheyenne mused. Chances were that it was something small that she was blowing way out of proportion.

But she wouldn't know that for sure unless she knew what the stupid secret was.

She turned around when she heard the back door open. Her eager smile faded when she realized that it was Van. "Oh, it's you."

"Hi, sweetie, it's great to see you too," Van retorted, but gave her a kiss on the cheek in greeting anyway. "Elizabeth? Where are you?"

"Daddy!" Elizabeth squealed, running into the kitchen and jumping into his outstretched arms.

Her smile wide again, Cheyenne explained, "Sorry, honey. I am glad to see you. I was just hoping that Kyra and Nell were…"

"They were right behind me," Van interrupted. "I think they were going up to Kyra's room through the front…oh no, you're not going to ask them stupid questions about the 'secret,' are you?"

Putting a hand on her hip, Cheyenne insisted, "Van, how can I not after what I overheard? You said yourself that there was no way to explain it."

"Forget what I said! Can't we just go home after I get the dollhouse?" Van whined.

About to reply, Cheyenne paused when she heard Kyra and Nell coming down the stairs. Moments later they came into the kitchen. "Hey guys," Kyra greeted, going to get a glass of water.

"Hi," Nell added, briefly tickling Elizabeth, who Van had put back down on the floor, before getting something to drink as well.

Trying to contain her excitement, Cheyenne ignored the warning look from her husband. "So, you two got any plans Saturday night?"

They whirled around to stare at her, a suspicious look on Kyra's face and a guilty one on Nell's. "S-so what if we do?" Kyra retorted.

"Oh, no reason in particular…" Cheyenne replied. "Van and I were just wondering if you'd be interested in babysitting again. But if you had plans in…say…a seedy part of the city…with your _band_…"

Kyra's jaw dropped, and it was clear she was trying to figure out how Cheyenne could have known. Then she looked at Elizabeth. "_You_. You little tattle tale."

"Sorry Aunt Kyra," Elizabeth muttered, wrapping her arms around her father's leg.

"Please don't tell Mrs. Hart!" Nell begged.

Glaring at Nell, Kyra stepped forward. "Wait. Go ahead and tell Mom. I don't care. She can't do anything."

"Really," Cheyenne replied, her smirk growing wider by the second. "I seem to remember her telling me that she's giving you money for the rest of the tour. I don't think she'd be willing to part with that money if she knew about this."

A hand on his wife's shoulder, Van insisted, "Cheyenne, just drop it, will you? This isn't the best way to handle this…"

"Shut up, Van," Cheyenne barked, causing her husband to let out a resigned sigh and sit down at the kitchen table next to his daughter.

Finally Kyra's shoulders sagged. "Alright, what do you want? I mean, it's not like when we were kids and you could make me clean your room for a week…well, usually it was the other way around, but still…what are you up to?"

"The question is, what are _you_ up to?" Cheyenne demanded. "You and Nell and Mom all have this little secret thing going on and it's driving everyone else nuts!"

Shocked, Nell gulped. "S-secret? What secret?"

"Oh, come on! Like I _haven't_ noticed how much you look and act like Mom! And Kyra, the way you and Mom always stop talking when someone else enters the room. Something's going on here, and I'm going to tell unless _you_ tell _me_ what it is!" Cheyenne ranted, her breath jagged.

The two teens shared a look, then without warning separated themselves from the group and had a whispered conversation. When they were done, Kyra looked at both Cheyenne and Van with seriousness in her eyes. "Okay, we'll tell you. But this _does not_ leave this room. You do not tell Dad. You do not tell Barbara Jean. You don't even tell Jake. And, lastly, you _do not_ tell Mom that you know. Got it?"

_Oh my God,_ Cheyenne thought. _What did I get myself into?_ Praying that Kyra was being overdramatic, she and Van nodded in agreement. Clearing her throat, she replied, "Got it."

Satisfied, Kyra turned to Nell. "Call him."

"What?" Nell asked, wrinkling her brow.

Kyra sighed. "Terry. You're Mom, right? And she can call him, so you should be able to."

"Wait, what do you mean, 'you're Mom'?" Van asked, staring at Nell.

Worried, Nell argued, "I don't know about this, Kyra…"

"That's the only way these two are going to believe anything we say," Kyra reasoned.

"Oh, fine," Nell agreed, letting out a deep breath. "Terry! Terry, could you come down here for a moment, please!"

_What's going on?_ Cheyenne wondered, her mind trying to come up with who this Terry person was. She was sure she'd heard the name from somewhere, she was having trouble placing it.

She didn't have too long to think, however. Suddenly there was a golden light, then a man with brown hair and a leather vest appeared out of nowhere. Stunned, Cheyenne blurted, "H-how…how…what the…"

"Who the heck are you?" Van asked, equally shocked. He'd jumped from his chair the second the golden light appeared.

The man who'd Kyra called Terry also seemed surprised. "Kyra? Reba…I mean Nell…why did you call me in front of Cheyenne and Van?"

"Blackmail," Kyra huffed, then gestured to the kitchen table. "Cheyenne, Van, you better sit down. This might take a while."

More than a few minutes later, Cheyenne was still sitting at the kitchen table, trying to understand everything she was being told. Staring at Nell, she breathed, "Wait…so you're…Mom…when she was eighteen?"

"Uh huh," Nell answered. She, Kyra and Terry were seated along one side of the table, giving the other two worried glances every so often.

Overwhelmed, Van gasped, "Two Mrs. H's? I think I'm scared."

"And you're…" Cheyenne continued, pointing at Terry. "Mom's guardian angel."

Terry nodded. "Yes."

"You _are_ Grandma Reba!" Elizabeth exclaimed, getting up and wrapping her arms around the teen. "I _knew_ it!"

Chuckling, Nell hugged her back. "Yes, I am. But you still have to call me Nell in front of Uncle Jake, Barbara Jean and your grandpa, okay?"

"Why?" Elizabeth wondered.

Looking at Kyra, Cheyenne asked, "Yeah, how come you're the only one Mom trusted with this?"

"I don't know," Kyra admitted. "I think Mom just doesn't want to have to deal with telling everyone. I already knew about Terry from the coma situation, so it was easy to tell me about Nell. Oh, and Lori Ann knows too. Since she knew Mom when she was eighteen, we couldn't get away with the 'friend from school' excuse."

Still a little miffed, Cheyenne got up from her seat. "_Okay_ then. I need to…I think _we all need _to…get out of here a little while and spend some time convincing ourselves that this isn't a dream. Let's go, Van. Come on Elizabeth…"

"But the dollhouse," Van reminded her.

Cheyenne glared at him, already pulling Elizabeth towards the back door. "You can get it _later_."

Once they were all in Van's car, Cheyenne slid down in her seat. "Oh my God. Just…oh, my God…"

"I know. I _know_. And you thought my clone idea was too farfetched," Van chuckled, shaking his head in complete disbelief.

Putting her head down on the dashboard, Cheyenne mumbled, "That's it. This family is officially insane."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Watching Cheyenne and her family run out the back door, Nell sighed. "That didn't go very well."

"At least she didn't scream," Kyra pointed out, her arms folded on the kitchen table.

Terry raised an eyebrow. "I still say you two should've talked to Reba…_older_ Reba before you did that."

"I don't see the problem. I mean, who cares if Cheyenne knows anyway?" Kyra pointed out. "I say we got off easy."

Staring at her, Terry asked, "Got off easy? What exactly was she blackmailing you with?"

"None of your business," Kyra snapped before Nell had a chance to answer. "Don't you have some other angel stuff to do?"

Terry took the hint and got up out of his chair. "Fine, but…"

"Terry? What are you doing here?"

The three turned around to find Reba standing in the doorway, a surprised expression on her face. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just leaving," Terry assured her. Then he disappeared, leaving behind an awkward silence.

Confused, Reba shrugged and put her pocketbook on the island. "So you two staying for dinner or eating with the band again?"

"Eating with the band. We're going to be practicing late again," Kyra told her, going out the door to the living room. Giving Nell a pointed look, she asked, "You coming?"

Nell was torn. On one hand, she was on great terms with Kyra and didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that. On the other hand, if she didn't talk to her older self soon, who knew how long it would be before she could go home? "Um, no. I think I'm gonna stay here. You don't need me to distract you guys."

"Alright then," Kyra replied with a raised eyebrow. Shrugging, she grabbed her purse and left through the back door, without another word to Reba.

Reba sighed. "Nell, you've been talking to Kyra, just tell me this – does she hate me?"

Hesitating, Nell decided it was useless to lie. "A little. But I think…I think she's just confused. She's confused and she's mad that you're making her second guess every decision she manages to make."

"Well she should! It's her life; she shouldn't do something unless she's absolutely sure…" Reba trailed off, realizing it was no use arguing with Nell about it. "Never mind."

Nell couldn't help herself. She had to say it. "Were you sure of every decision you ever made? I mean, something tells me you were sure you wanted to marry Brock. Look how that turned out."

"That's different…isn't?" Reba asked, crossing her arms on the island. "Shoot. I forgot how smart I was at your age."

Smiling, Nell retorted, "Thank you. Now, I think we need to talk."

Reba shot her an amused glance while she sat down next to her at the kitchen table. "Really? I thought you were mad at me too."

"I am a little, but I wanna go home," Nell reasoned. "And I was doing some thinking and figured that you may have had a legitimate argument about the whole Brock thing. I would've talked to you sooner, but then I started to hang out with Kyra…"

Chuckling, Reba remarked, "And they all brainwashed you into the normal teenage mentality that coming to terms with any parent is 'uncool.' Well, I'd like to point out that if you ever want to get home, we have to talk."

"Like I said, I totally agree," Nell replied. "And if Kyra says anything, I'll just remind her that if I _hadn't_ talked to you, I never would get home, and she wouldn't exist."

"Yeah, that's good. Threaten her with extinction," Reba laughed.

There was an awkward silence. Finally Nell let out a deep breath. "Look, the day after our fight I took a walk and…thought about some things. It is possible that you weren't being _totally_ irrational when you told me not to drool over Brock. It occurred to me that seeing…me, being the younger you… acting so crazy around my 'future husband' might bring back memories that aren't the best. "

"And how did you come to that fairly accurate conclusion?" Reba asked.

Nell gave her a sheepish grin. "I, um, went over to Brock's house during my walk. Saw him with Barbara Jean and couldn't help but get a _little_ jealous."

"You might as well get used to it now," Reba huffed. "But I'm glad you understand why I overacted. And…I guess I owe you an apology too. You didn't _ask_ to be sent to the future, and I certainly haven't made it any easier on you."

Feeling a small amount of relief, Nell began to relax somewhat. _This might not be so bad._ "I know this is going to sound stupid, but I have to know. Why do you hate me so much?"

Reba stared at her, surprised. "Oh Lord…you think I hate you?"

"What else am I supposed to think after…you know…the fight? I get this feeling that…you're ashamed of me," Nell confessed, avoiding eye contact with Reba with all the will power she had.

Shaking her head, Reba insisted, "No! I'm not ashamed of you! To be honest…I guess the reason you may feel that way is…because seeing you again makes me feel ashamed of myself."

Nell gulped, suddenly feeling guilty about being ashamed of her older self earlier. "W-what do you mean? You shouldn't…"

"Don't lie to me. I was you, remember? I know what your life is like now," Reba interrupted, an apologetic look on her face. "You want to be a famous singer, then you come here and find out you're not. And I just want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't brave enough to try and make it. But I think I'm beginning to realize that…there's a reason for everything. You probably think that your life sucks now because you're not who you thought you want to be. But it doesn't! It's wonderful, and exciting….

"Now, there are going to be more than a few times where you're going to think that I was crazy to tell you this. You'll be hurt, confused, wondering how in the world everything is going to turn out okay in the end. But if you remember one thing from this experience, let it be that…you need to trust. Trust in God, trust in yourself, trust that what you do is the right thing. Everything _will_ turn out okay. More than okay, in fact."

Nell considered her words, taking the meaning of her speech to heart. _While you've been here, you've been worrying about your future, what you need to do when you prevent it when you get back to your time, or even if you should. I need to trust in whatever feels right._ She hugged her older self, saying, "Thanks."

"No, thank _you_," Reba insisted, hugging her back. "I've been wanting to say that to you for a long time. I never thought I'd get the chance."

There was a comfortable silence. Then Reba let out a groan of aggravation. "You know, a small part of me thought that would be it."

Nell laughed. A part of her had also thought that Terry would suddenly appear to take her home. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

Lori Ann knocked on Reba's front door. It was Friday night of that week, and she was picking Reba up to go bar hopping. While the redhead had protested that there was no reason for it when she had a date that Saturday night, Lori Ann convinced her that there was nothing wrong with having some fun anyway.

Things were a little…tense between her and Reba after the fight a few days ago. But Lori Ann was standing her ground. If Barbara Jean was anyone else, a random person Reba had made best friends with, Lori Ann wouldn't have a problem with it. It was the fact that it was _Barbara Jean_. Lori Ann couldn't stand the airhead; Barbara Jean was one of those blondes she hated who supported the stupid blonde stereotype. Not only that, but she'd hurt her best friend. While Reba insisted that she was over the affair and had been for years, Lori Ann wasn't about to let it go that easily.

It didn't help matters that Barbara Jean was being so damn possessive over Reba. Lori Ann would be much more open to the idea of sharing a best friend if the other blonde wasn't fighting it so hard.

When no one answered the door, Lori Ann knocked again. Moments later it was answered by none other than Barbara Jean.

Gritting her teeth, Lori Ann plastered on the best fake smile she could muster. "Hey Barbara Jean. Reba in there?"

"Yeah," Barbara Jean replied, her smile equally fake. "I see you knocked. You know, Reba and I have the type of relationship where I don't need to knock."

Lori Ann clenched her fist around her purse strap. "Well, Reba and _I_ have the type of relationship where she doesn't tell me to get out five minutes after I come over."

"She doesn't do that to me!" Barbara Jean objected, then muttered under her breath, "Any more."

Tilting her head in amusement:Lori Ann asked, "So, are you letting me in, or are you Reba's new body guard? You're certainly big enough to be."

"Yeah, big enough to squish you like the best friend stealing rat you are…" Barbara Jean retorted, all pretenses dropped.

Lori Ann glared at her. "Cut the crap, Barbara Jean. Just let me in."

"Why should I?" Barbara Jean challenged, moving so that she blocked the doorway more.

Deciding she wouldn't go there, Lori Ann sat on the porch bench. "You know what, don't bother. Reba knows I'm supposed to come over. She'll come out eventually."

"Yeah well…yeah, well…" Barbara Jean trailed off. Then she stomped her foot. "We can't keep doing this."

Lori Ann frowned, glad that Barbara Jean was willing to compromise, yet aggravated that she hadn't offered to take the high road first. "I guess. But we're not ready to be best friends either. Hell, I don't _want_ to be ready."

"I don't want to be friends with _you_ either," Barbara Jean scoffed. "But what else are we going to do? All this fighting is really putting a strain on Reba. I think this is why she's been so stressed out lately."

_One of the reasons,_ Lori Ann thought, happy that _she_ was the one Reba had trusted with her big secret. Though she had to admit this fight between her and the other blonde wasn't helping. "I don't know…this would be easier if you weren't being so damn possessive…"

"Well maybe I wouldn't be so possessive if I didn't think I had to be!" Barbara Jean exclaimed, honest anguish in her voice. "Reba and I used to hang out a lot. Ever since you came to town, all she does is go out with _you_. I feel like I'm losing her as a _friend_, never mind a best friend.."

Lori Ann sighed, admitting to herself that Barbara Jean had a point. She had been spending _a lot_ of time with Reba. But in her defense, she'd just moved back to Houston. Reba was the only person she knew. "Alright, maybe I have been spending a little too much time with her. But what do you want to do, work out a schedule?."

"That's a great idea!" Barbara Jean exclaimed.

Raising an eyebrow, Lori Ann suppressed a mocking laugh. She'd been kidding. "Are you serious?"

"Why not?" Barbara Jean argued. "How about…you can spend time with her on…Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'll take Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. We'll give her Saturday to spend with her new apparently hunky boyfriend."

Lori Ann spent a moment trying to come up with a flaw in the plan, but was surprised when she couldn't find one. It did work. Of course, it wasn't written in stone, but at least they could use it as a guide so there'd be less chance that they'd run into each other. "Works for me." She held out her hand. "Deal."

"Deal," Barbara Jean agreed, shaking it. "So, you want to come in? Brock and Cheyenne are in the living room. Reba's in the attic helping Van get the doll house for Elizabeth."

Hesitating, Lori Ann nodded and got up. "Sure."

She spent the next few minutes chatting with Barbara Jean and Cheyenne, while squeezing in as much insults to Brock as possible. Finally Van came down the stairs, the average size doll house in his arms. Looking around the toy at the stairs, Van carefully placed each foot so that he didn't trip.

He ended up tripping anyway. Stepping on his own shoelace, he would've fallen to the ground had not Lori Ann, who was the closest, put a steadying arm on the doll house. "Hey Van."

"Hey, Lori Ann," Van greeted, giving her an embarrassed smile while he set the toy on the floor. "Mrs. H told me to tell you she was finishing getting ready and she'd be down in a few minutes."

Lori Ann nodded. "Thanks."

"So what are you guys talking about?" Van asked, joining the group in the living room.

Sitting on the couch, Barbara Jean turned to face him. "Reba. And how stressed she's been lately. In fact, I was just about to bring up the point that it all seemed to start when Nell arrived."

Lori Ann tried to keep the panicked look off her face. It would not be good if Barbara Jean became suspicious of Nell. "Oh, I'm sure she has nothing to do with it."

"Yeah! Mom is totally worrying about something else," Cheyenne exclaimed, a bit too loudly and quickly. Lori Ann did a double take. It almost seemed like she was covering up something…

"She's right, you know!" Van was fast to add. "Mrs. H is…probably…worrying about something at work. Totally un-Nell related."

Confused by their odd behavior, Brock shook his head as he stood up. "Okay then. Barbara Jean, we better go. Henry gets out of his karate class soon."

"Aw, that's cute! You've got little Henry in a karate class?" Lori Ann asked.

Brock grimaced. "Yeah, well, it's not so cute when he spends his free time practicing his kicks…against your shins…and higher…"

"I hope he gets his black belt," Lori Ann remarked with a sardonic grin.

Once Brock and Barbara Jean were out of ear shot, Lori Ann rounded on the remaining two. "What was that about? Do you know?"

Cheyenne and Van shared happy smiles before Cheyenne blurted, "Yeah we do! It's so cool!"

"How…did Reba tell…" Lori Ann trailed off, unsure how she should feel about this new development.

Shaking his head, Van told her, "No. Cheyenne blackmailed Kyra and Nell…or, should I say, Mrs. H Jr. Don't tell Mrs. H we know, 'k?"

"Um…okay…" Lori Ann replied, positive that she didn't want to know the details. She didn't have time to question them further, as Reba was coming down the stairs in appropriate bar hopping attire. "Hey Reba."

Reba smiled at her, then looked around in confusion. "Where did Brock and Barbara Jean go?"

"They went to pick up Henry," Cheyenne answered. "You two go ahead. I'll go upstairs and get Elizabeth, then help Van with the doll house. We'll lock up."

"Uh, thanks guys," Reba said, then sent Lori Ann an apologetic grin when they reached the front porch. "Sorry I left you down there so long. How much verbal abuse did you fire at Brock?"

Lori Ann laughed. "Just a little."

* * *

"Come on, Nell!" Kyra shouted, waiting at the bottom of the stairs. While she waited she took out her compact mirror and touched up her black lipstick. "We have to leave now! You look great!"

"I've changed my mind. I'm not going!"

Kyra rolled her eyes. Even at age eighteen, her mother managed to get on her nerves. "Why?"

"I can't go looking like this. I just can't. If my mama ever saw me like this…"

Chuckling, Kyra assured her, "She won't, unless she miraculously comes from the past too. Get down here!"

"Fine," Nell grumbled, appearing at the top of the steps.

Kyra held back a laugh. No, it wasn't a mocking laugh – she was just amazed at how different Nell, a.k.a. her mother, could look after a day at the mall and some different makeup. She still held the laugh anyway, as she didn't want Nell to become more self conscious than she already was.

Knowing that Nell wouldn't fit in at the type of club they were going to that night, Kyra decided to give her a makeover. She normally detested makeovers – that was more Cheyenne's thing – but this one had been necessary.

Starting from the top, Nell's long hair had been cut and flattened. She wore dark eye shadow, heavy eye liner, and black lipstick. Dangling earrings brushed her shoulders. She was wearing a black t-shirt that was ripped at the neckline, and dark skin-tight jeans. To complete the look she wore boots with three-inch heels and various bracelets and necklaces.

For a brief second Kyra wondered what it would be like to see her mother, as she is now, dressed up like this. She couldn't get a mental picture no matter how hard she tried.

"You look _so_ awesome!" Kyra exclaimed

Frowning, Nell slowly made her way down the stairs, trying not to trip in her boots. "I don't feel awesome. These jeans are the most uncomfortable things I've ever worn. And it will be a miracle if I don't twist my ankle in these boots."

"But you look great," Kyra laughed. She was dressed in a similar outfit of a denim skirt, dark purple t-shirt and ankle boots. Her makeup and accessories were also like Nell's.

Nell shrugged. "I hope so. I have to tell you, I never thought I'd dress like this in a million years. Then again, I never thought I'd be more than twenty years into the future, going to a concert with my teenaged daughter."

"See? You never know," Kyra replied. "Come on, we better get out of here before…"

"Oh my Lord!"

Wincing, Kyra looked up to find her mother standing the living room, dressed for her date. Reba walked up to them, shock on her face. Then she sent her daughter an accusing glare. "What did you do to me?"

Kyra gulped down the lump in her throat. Her original plan had been for them to sneak out when her mom left for her date with Adam. She'd honestly thought her mother left already. "Oh, Mom, didn't know you were still here…"

"Not for long, Adam's waiting outside," Reba explained, then raised an eyebrow at her younger self. "Now what's this about? If I know me like I think I do, I never would've dressed like that."

Nell smirked. "Trust me, you do."

"Well, the thing is…" Kyra began, coming up with the excuse as she spoke. "My band has a gig tonight at that club we played at last time. You've been there, right? So anyway, I figured Nell would blend in easier if I gave her a little makeover.

With another sidelong glance at Nell, Reba asked, "You agreed to this?"

"Mhm," Nell answered, her eyes wide with panic.

Trying not to cringe, Kyra held her breath. It was easy for Kyra to lie to Reba; she was an expert liar and her mother never suspected a thing. But Nell was a different story. While they were getting ready, the other teen had confessed that if they had to fib she wasn't sure if she could. That was why Kyra had wanted to sneak out rather than just lie.

Not to mention that Nell was lying to her older self. Reba might remember herself at that age well enough to spot the tell tale signs that Nell wasn't being completely truthful.

Kyra let out a deep breath when Reba only laughed and replied, "Well, have fun tonight. Jake!"

Coming down the stairs, Jake asked, "What?" Then he did a double take when he spotted Nell. "Whoa! What happened to _you_?"

Reba chuckled. "They're going to a concert, which means, Jake, that you'll be home alone."

"Mom, I'll be fine. I'm almost _thirteen_," Jake insisted.

Sighing, Reba said, "Still, you know not to open the door for anybody, call my cell phone if you need me…"

"And don't order pizza when there's food in the fridge, got it," Jake finished with a grin.

Kyra smiled as well, remembering the incident that led up to that rule. "Mom, he'll be okay. Go on you date and have fun."

"Alright. Have a good nigh, you three," Reba replied, giving them one last look before going out the door.

Once she was gone, Jake stared at them. "You lied to Mom. Where are you really going?"

"How did you _do_ that?" Nell exclaimed.

Kyra wasn't surprised. Jake could be very perceptive at times. "None of your business. You tell anyone, you die. Got it?"

"Got it," Jake muttered, going up to his room.

"Let's get out of here," Kyra breathed, grabbing Nell's arm and pulling her towards the front door.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Nell watched with sympathy as Kyra put her head down on the dirty wooden bar. They were still at the club, even though the contest had ended a good half hour ago. The group was in high spirits at first, and played a great song, but they still lost and came on third. While normally third place was good – after all, they did win a hundred dollars – it wasn't enough to send Kyra to New York.

"You'll figure something out," Nell assured her, absentmindedly taking a sip of her water.

"I don't get it," Kyra moaned, turning to look at Nell. "We're going on _tour_, for crying out loud. How can we lose a stupid battle of the bands? In _third_?"

Looking around the bar, Nell gestured to their surroundings. "Somehow I don't think this crowd appreciates rock. The winner _was_ picked on the amount of applause. There wasn't even a real judge."

Kyra shrugged. "I guess. But what am I going to do now? It was bad before, but if my mom finds out about tonight there's no way she'll give me the money."

"Don't worry, she won't find out," Nell sighed. All day long she'd been torn, wondering if she should tell Reba what was going on. She was friends with Kyra, but she'd had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach since she woke up that morning. However, now that the concert was over and they were obviously fine, there was no reason to get Kyra in unnecessary trouble.

Giving her a grateful smile, Kyra asked, "Really? But I thought…"

"Well, it sucks enough that you didn't win," Nell smirked. "The last thing you need is your mom giving you a hard time about it."

"Tell me about it," Kyra huffed, taking a big gulp of the soda she'd gotten.

While waiting for her friend to swallow, Nell turned around and observed the other patrons in the club. It was designed like an old fashioned bar, with wooden tables scattered around, wooden walls and wooden floors. She and Kyra were sitting on uncovered stools, drinking from glasses that certainly weren't new. The only aspect that showed that the club was even a club, or that it was even built in the last twenty years, was the stage and the dance floor in front of it. The stage was still wood, but it gleamed from laminate, and there was a high-tech stereo system that was blasting rap music.

Nell tried not to stare at the people on the dance floor, but it was hard. She'd never seen people dance like that before. Not to mention the clothes…dear Lord, the clothes. Not even the sluts in her time dressed as bad as some of the women she was trying not to look at right now. And some of the men…they were dressed sloppily, and the way they pressed up against women when they danced was enough to make her blush. What made her blush even more though, was that some of those very men were giving her the once over. It was making her blush, but it was making her nervous even more.

The bad feeling had repossessed her stomach almost as soon as the concert was over. She'd wanted to leave as soon as humanly possible. But the band, seemingly not as upset by the loss as their leader was, had wanted to stay. They'd dispersed after the winners were announced, and Nell suppose the guys were trying out their pick up lines on any girl foolhardy enough to listen to them.

"Hey, Nell?"

Turning back to Kyra, Nell asked, "What?"

"Thanks," Kyra replied, letting out a deep breath. "I mean, you didn't have to come here. I just…appreciate it, you know? And it's nice that you're trying to make me feel better. That doesn't happen a lot. The guys, they try, but they're not the sentimental types. And my family doesn't really understand this. In fact, it's ironic that the only one who does is my mother's younger self."

Touched, Nell didn't let it show too much how flattered she was by Kyra's words. "I guess it's because I've been there. You know, trying to make it in the music industry. There's only so many times you can perform in Terry's bar before you start to wonder if it's _ever_ going to happen. Well, I suppose I don't have to wonder now. But you…you, Kyra, are going to make it big. I just know it."

"Thanks…Mom," Kyra said with a grin. "It's hard to believe that you're going to grow up to the 'you need to go to college' mom I know today. You're so…_cool_."

Nell chuckled, sure her face was red from the compliment. "Yeah, well…I guess everyone losses their coolness factor at one point in life."

Laughing at first, Kyra grew serious a moment later. "It's kind of sad that you don't make it big. You're a great singer."

"I have to admit, it bothered me a lot at first. But after sticking around here a while, I don't think it'll bother me that much after all," Nell confessed.

"But still…" Kyra argued, thinking for a minute. A smile then slowly appeared on her face. "Maybe it's not too late."

Nell wrinkled her brow in confusion. "What are you talking about? Of course it's too late; I'm pushing fifty in this time – "

"Hello ladies. Can I refill your drinks or get you something else? Beer, maybe?"

Startled, it took Nell a second to realize that the bartender was talking to them. "Oh, sure, I guess…"

"What she means is, she'll have another water," Kyra interrupted. When the young bartender's back was turned, she muttered, "Drinking age limit in this decade is twenty-one, Nell."

"Oh, sorry," Nell whispered back, surprised. That was disappointing; she'd been looking forward to a nice, cold beer.

A few seconds later the bartender was putting a full glass of water in front of Nell, saying, "So, you two new around here? I've been working here for a while, and I pretty much know the neighborhood. We don't get too many out-of-towners."

"We were here for the battle of the bands," Kyra told him, in a better mood, but still a little upset.

He stared at her a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, you were that chick who won third place, right? I remember thinking that you were awesome. You should've gotten first. What's your band's name again?"

"The Kyra Hart Band," Kyra answered, blushing.

Holding out his hand for her to shake, he said, "Let me guess, you're Kyra Hart? I'm Jeremy, by the way."

"Yeah, that's me," Kyra replied, shaking it. "This is my friend, Nell."

Nell shook his hand, but didn't return the smile he send her. There was something about this guy she _really_ didn't like. She wasn't sure what it was though, as he was pretty cute. Maybe it was the way his pale blue eyes gleamed with eagerness when he spoke, or how there was too much gel in his short, spiked black hair. "So, um, how long have you been here? Before the battle started?" That way she could find out how much longer he would be there; hopefully he would be going soon.

"Oh, I was here a couple hours before it started," Jeremy answered. "I should be getting off in about in hour. Hey, how about some free drinks, for a great singer and her friend?"

Nell was about to protest, but Kyra beat her to it. "Sorry, but we're not twenty-one. Some free sodas would be good though."

"You got it," Jeremy said, turning around to pour their drinks. "I can't believe you two aren't over twenty-one; you certainly look it. How old are you?"

"Eighteen. How old are you?" Nell asked, earning herself a glare from Kyra. The other teen was probably embarrassed that she had confessed to such a young age when they could've passed for a year or two older. Nell ignored that, as she was thrown off when she could've sworn she saw Jeremy's smile widen when she mentioned their age.

"Twenty-two," Jeremy answered as he placed their drinks on the bar. "I've been working here since I turned twenty-one to help pay for college bills. If everything goes according to plan I should be graduating next semester. What about you two; you going to college in the fall?"

"Funny you should mention college…" Kyra began, then proceeded to explain about her upcoming tour.

Nell let Kyra talk, scanning the club for the guys. She wasn't able to find them in the crowd. Trying not to let her anxiety show, she took a sip of the soda Jeremy had brought her.

She almost choked. It didn't taste like the soda she knew, or even the soda she'd had at Reba's house. The drink wasn't _bad_…just different. She would've said something, but Kyra and Jeremy were deep in conversation. Noting the way Kyra drank her soda without a problem, Nell shrugged and continued drinking.

* * *

"…I swear to you, I saw it move!" Reba exclaimed, causing Adam to burst with laughter. He'd been asking about the houses she sold so far, and jokingly questioned if any of them were haunted. She couldn't resist replying that the only haunted house she ever went into belonged to her ex and his wife, explaining about the time Barbara Jean was convinced her house was haunted and forced her to spend the night. It was an experience Reba never forgot, but didn't get to tell often.

Shaking his head, Adam laughed, "I'm sorry. I just don't believe in that stuff."

"Neither did I! But I swear I saw the pointer move by itself! I was petrified, and Barbara Jean and I made a point of staying in the same room the rest of the night," Reba finished with a chuckle. "The original plan was for her to sleep on her bed and me on the couch when we were done. I ended up sleeping on the couch, and her on the living room floor."

Adam smiled, amusement in his eyes. "And did you ever contact the ghost again?"

"That was the last time we tried," Reba confessed, not without some shame. "And I swear, I felt a chill every time I entered that house for the next month."

Taking a sip of his wine, Adam made a valiant effort to conceal his chuckle. He didn't and ended up spitting up wine back into the glass. "I'm _so_ sorry. This just sounds a little ridiculous. You're really saying that your ex lives in a haunted house?"

"Maybe," Reba huffed, forcing herself to laugh. In reality, though, she held back a groan. _Of course the one guy I date has to be narrow-minded_, she thought, Terry in mind. If they ever got serious, she'd have to tell him that her guardian angel popped up once in a while to put her life through a blender. It was yet another thing she'd had to get used to because of her "big secret." With luck they would either break up or he'd become much more open to the supernatural.

Who was she kidding? When was luck ever on her side?

Thankfully he didn't notice her inner turmoil and kept on talking. "I don't know why I'm such a skeptic. Maybe it was because my parents were very rational people; who knows."

"Yeah, who knows…" Reba muttered, feeling more like crap every second that passed. Reaching for her wine glass, she just about had her fingers around the stem when it happened.

Her hand vanished. Just…disappeared into thin air. Her arm, all the way up to her elbow was totally, completely…invisible.

Stifling a gasp, she stared in horror.

_This _can not_ be good._

"Are you okay, Reba?" Adam asked, noting the panicked expression on her face.

Reba sent up a silent prayer of thanks that he was looking at her face and didn't notice her missing appendage. Putting it in her lap and picking up her wine glass with her other hand, she gave him a weak smile. "I'm great…just _great_."

"That's good, I guess?" Adam replied, still confused by her behavior.

Looking down at her lap, Reba breathed a sigh of relief. She could see her hand again. Maybe she could get through this meal and call Terry later. "Yeah, it is. So, ah, you mentioned your parents…why don't you tell me about them?"

They chatted for the next few minutes without incident. Then Adam dropped his fork. "Oh, sorry, let me just get that…"

"No!" Reba shouted. When he stared at her, she cleared her throat. "I mean, uh, no, please, allow me!"

She bent under the table, spotted the fork and picked it up. While she didn't know if her legs had disappeared or not, she wasn't about to take the chance. He probably already thought she was being a little weird. The last thing she needed was to see her newfound disappearing act.

About to sit back up, she froze. Her left leg vanished.

_I just had to wear a knee-length skirt tonight. Damn sex appeal. Damn it to hell!_

She stayed like that for a few moments, begging it to reappear. Then, to her terror, she heard him ask, "You okay down there? Is my fork really that hard to find…"

Her breath came out in jagged gasps when she saw him grasp the bottom of the table cloth. This was ridiculous. She had to get out of there. Grabbing the fork, she bolted upright. "Here it is! Will you excuse me…"

"Ouch!"

Reba would've chuckled if she wasn't so terrified – he'd bumped his head on the way back up. Counting her blessings, she excused herself and ran to the ladies room while he was still holding his head.

Praying that no one had noticed that she was still missing a leg, she opened the ladies room door. No one was in there, but she checked under the bathroom stalls anyway just to be sure.

"What the heck is happening to me?" Reba said aloud, looking down at her missing leg She felt a little better when it reappeared, but that didn't solve the problem that body parts kept turning invisible.

Looking at herself in one of the mirrors, she let out of a deep, calming breath. Then proceeded to have a panic attack when her whole body vanished, leaving only the neckline of her top showing in the mirror.

She reappeared seconds later, but it was still enough to rattle her nerves. _This has Terry written all over it_, she thought. She lowered her voice to a whisper should anyone happen to be coming in. "Terry! Terry! Get down here _now_!"

"Why are you whispering?"

Whirling around at the whisper, Reba saw Terry appear next to her. "Because," she replied through gritted teeth, the phenomenon no longer phasing her. "We're in the bathroom of a very public restaurant."

"So we are," Terry observed, looking around. "Dang it, Reba, why'd you call me to come to a _girls'_ bathroom?"

Reba sent him an aggravated glare. "Because if I called my guardian angel in a _boys'_ room, people would look at me funny! Now what the hell is this?"

"What is what?" Terry asked, giving her a confused look.

Rolling her eyes, Reba waited. Sure enough, the area around her waist disappeared, then reappeared. "That!"

"That's…that's a little weird…" Terry remarked. "How much has that been happening?"

"What do you mean, that's a _little_ weird?" Reba exclaimed. She'd hoped at least _he_ would know what was going on. "First it was my arm, then my leg, then my _whole body_, then this! Frankly, Terry, I've taken a lot of crap from you but if you're doing this just to make me crazy…"

Taking a nervous step back from her, Terry explained, "N-no, I had nothing to do with this, I promise. The only reason I can think of is…oh Lord, I really hope this isn't it…" He trailed off, letting out a deep breath.

"Is if…what?" Reba asked, anxiety replacing anger and panic in a heartbeat.

"Is if…" Terry answered, concern and worry in his tone. "Something happens to Nell. Which means you never exist."

Reba's eyes widened. "What do you mean, _if something happens_?"

Breaking eye contact with Reba, Terry muttered, "If…if her life is in danger. The only way I can think of that would cause this would be if Nell dies in this timeline."

"What?" Reba gasped, her heart pounding. Her mind immediately went back to her talk with Nell and Kyra before she left. She _thought_ something wasn't right; Nell wouldn't look her in the eye, and even Kyra was a little off. _I _knew_ they've been up to something._ "Oh my God, Terry…if Nell's in danger, there's a good chance Kyra is too. You have to take me to them!"

Terry shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't. Who knows what situation I could be transporting you into? And what good can you do if you try to help them and body parts keep disappearing?"

"Then what do you expect me to do, just go back to my date?" Reba exclaimed, disbelief in her tone. Her daughter was in danger. She couldn't just do _nothing_.

Putting a placating hand on her shoulder, Terry replied, "Just calm down. Panicking won't do any good. I'll go check on Nell and Kyra, then get back to you. For now you can go back in there and get out of this date."

"But can't you just…" When Terry narrowed his eyes at her, Reba sighed. "Fine. But get back to me _soon_, got it?"

"Got it," Terry said as he disappeared.

Sending up a quick prayer for the safety of her daughter and younger self, Reba began to think of an excuse for Adam as she left the bathroom.

* * *

Taking a sip of her third soda, Kyra let out a loud giggle. She was still at the club with Nell. It was getting late, but the club was busy as it had been earlier. She couldn't spot her other band members anywhere, but she didn't care. She was having too much fun. "It's so cool that you've been to _college_ Jeremy!" she blurted. Chuckling again as if it was the funniest joke she'd ever heard.

Nell nodded in agreement. She was working on her second soda, but she was talking funny and her eyes were red. "Yeah, and all those college _parties_!"

"Yeah…" Kyra agreed. Then she almost fell off her chair. She managed to hold onto the bar and Jeremy helped her back up. "Thanks," she said, blushing with embarrassment.

It registered somewhere in the back of her mind that she was drunk. And not just drunk; _plastered_ drunk. She'd gotten drunk before, but never like this. This confused her, though, as she'd been drinking nothing but soda all night.

But she was too far gone to be stopped by a little bit of confusion. This was giving her such a buzz that she wouldn't mind if she stayed like this forever.

"You know," Jeremy began with a smile. "Speaking of parties, how would a couple of hot chicks like yourselves like to come to one I'm throwing at my apartment. I'm getting off of work now and…I'd hate for this night to end so soon."

Nell traded a brief look with Kyra, then replied, "I don't know. The guys are our ride home…"

"What guys?" Jeremy asked.

Turning around to look for them again, Kyra answered, "The rest of my band…I don't know where they went though…"

"Hey, no problem, babe," Jeremy insisted. "You wanna go home, just say the word and I'll have my friend drive you when he gets to the party. He won't mind. I would, but it'll be my party and I don't want it to get out of control if I'm not there."

Kyra shrugged. It made sense, and they would have a ride home. And she agreed with Jeremy – she didn't want this night to end. "Sure. Sounds great." Again, that nagging feeling that something wasn't right, that she should call someone or do something…but she pushed it away. If she couldn't remember it must not be that important.

When Nell gave her consent, Jeremy's smile widened. "Great! I'll go get my friend, Nicholas, and tell him I'm leaving. He's…helping me set up for the party."

"Okay, we'll be here," Nell said. Once he was gone, she leaned in close to Kyra, who grimaced at the smell of her nasty breath. "I don't know about this"

Sighing, Kyra assured her, "Don't worry. You gotta live a little! It's just a party, and we can go home any time we want. I know how to get home from around here by bus…I think. Anyway, Jeremy said his friend can drive us home too."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Nell replied, some reluctance in her voice.

Minutes later they were leaving the club. Climbing into the car, it dawned on Kyra that she'd arrived with a purse, but didn't have one now. "Hey, wait, I left my purse…" But Nicholas was already closing the door on them while Jeremy started the engine.

The apartment building they arrived at moments afterwards did nothing to put her at ease. The paint on the outside was peeling, and she was sure those were drug dealers on the front stoop. Jeremy and Nicholas rushed them into the building and up several flights of stairs, Nell shrieking at a dead rat on the way.

Kyra couldn't help but notice the change in the guys' demeanor as soon as they'd left the club. Nicholas, who was muscular like his friend with short brown hair and hazel eyes, didn't say much, just pushed them along. Although Jeremy shot her a reassuring grin every once in a while, Kyra didn't feel very reassured. Something about him changed. The eagerness she'd seen in his eyes earlier was back with newfound passion.

She was just about to think that Nell was right about this being a bad idea when they stopped in front of a door. Nicholas shoved it open and ushered them into a small living room area, occupied only by a shabby couch and a television that still had antennae.

Jeremy gestured to the couch. "You two ladies have a seat. Nicholas and I are going to get some stuff ready for the…party."

There was a click, and Kyra whirled around. She gasped when she saw that Nicholas had put a padlock on the front door, slipping the key into his pocket. "We have to get out of here," she realized, fear overpowering any alcohol high she may have been feeling.

"I knew it," Nell whispered, tears in her eyes. "I knew this was a bad idea. They're going to hurt us. Bad."

Kyra put her head in her hands, guilt mixing with the fear. This was all her fault. She just _had_ to go to the stupid concert and drag Nell with her. Trying to get her brain to focus, she replied with determination, "We have to get out of here."


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm…" Reba chanted, rummaging around in her purse for her house keys. "Nothing is going to happen, everything is going to be okay…now where's that dang key?"

Finally she found her keys and put it in the lock. About to turn it, she groaned when the hand faded. "Well that's new," she muttered, looking at her not-quite-invisible hand. She tried to turn the key, but her hand went right through it.

Frustrated, she held out her other hand, only to have the same thing happen. "This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed. After a moment of debating what to do, she started kicking the door. "Jake! Jake!"

Just when her foot was starting to hurt Jake answered the door. Giving her a confused look, he asked, "Why couldn't you unlock the door? And…what the heck are you doing here?"

Reba held up her faded hand, at this point not really caring about her secret. "_This_ is why! Let me in, will you?"

"Whoa…" Jake gasped, following Reba into the living room. "That's so cool!"

Turning around to glare at him, Reba replied, "No it's not! Now get the phone and call Kyra's cell."

"Okay," Jake said, staring at his mother while got the phone. "What's the number?"

Reba gave it to him. She would've dialed it herself, but her arms were still not quite there. It'd been hard enough driving home without panicking that the foot on the gas pedal or the hand on the steering wheel would disappear at a moment's notice.

After Jake dialed, she asked with impatience in her voice, "Well?"

"It's ringing," Jake told her. "Still ringing…"

Reba closed her eyes for a brief second. "Please pick up…please…"

"Hello, Kyra?" Jake asked, and Reba felt some sense of hope. Those hopes were dashed when it immediately became clear that he was not talking to his sister. "Who is this, why do you have my sister's phone…oh…well, is she with you then…you don't know where she went…two guys, okay…where are you now…why…okay then, bye."

Feeling her heart beat so fast she was surprised it didn't burst out of her chest, Reba exclaimed, "Okay then _what_? Who was that? And what the heck did you mean by 'two _guys_'?"

"That was one of the guys in her band," Jake explained, pausing as he tried to relay all the information correctly. "The band, Kyra and Nell went to a club in downtown Houston…"

"Downtown Houston!" Reba shouted in outrage. When Jake tilted his head, she took a few deep breaths. "Right, focus. Continue."

Shaking his head, Jake went on, "…for a battle of the bands. When they only came in third the guys split up, and Kyra and Nell sat at the bar. She and Nell left a few minutes ago with this bartender they were talking to and his friend. The guy I was talking to saw them leave – he would've stopped them but he couldn't reach her in time."

Reba sat down on the arm of the couch, taking the information in. "So no one knows where my daughter is."

"Mom…what's going on?" Jake asked.

Reba put her head in her hands, trying to figure out what to do. She knew her time was limited, and that she needed to get her act together soon. _Okay, I need a plan…I can call for Terry, but he might not answer if he's keeping an eye on Nell and Kyra…maybe I can go down to the bar and…_

"Mom?"

Startled, Reba looked up. "What?"

"I asked you what was going on," Jake repeated.

"Oh," Reba breathed, realizing that she must be making her son worry by the way she was acting. "Jake, it's…a very long story, and I just don't have the time to tell you right now. I promise once this is over I'll explain everything."

Jake nodded. "Okay. Mom…is something bad going to happen to Kyra?"

"I hope not," Reba answered, tears in her eyes. "I really hope not."

The phone rang, and it wasn't until its second ring that Reba actually realized it was ringing. "Hello?" she asked once she picked it up, grateful that her hand was solid enough to do so. "Cheyenne, honey, what's wrong?"

"_You tell me!" Cheyenne wailed. "I was just sitting here with Van and Elizabeth, then the next thing I know my arms and legs start turning invisible like crazy! What did you do to me?"_

"Nothing! I…_oh_," Reba paused, understanding what was going on. If Nell were to…vanish before Terry could send her back to the right place in the timeline, then none of her children were ever born. That meant that Cheyenne and Jake and Kyra would all start to…_oh boy_, Reba thought. _This just keeps getting better and better_

"_What, 'oh'?" Cheyenne demanded _

Knowing that she would now have to explain things to both Jake and Cheyenne, Reba replied, "Look, just come over here, alright? We're in full panic mode, and I could use a little support anyway."

"_Panic mode? Mom, what's –"_

"Never mind, _just get here soon._"

Minutes later Cheyenne walked in, Van carrying Elizabeth. "Grandma Reba, you look like Mommy!" Elizabeth exclaimed, pointing to the various body parts on Reba that had vanished while she was waiting.

"I can explain everything…" Reba insisted, walking over to them.

Van shook his head. "No need, Mrs. H. We know all about Terry and Nell. I just wanna know why, when I went to put my hand on my wife's shoulder, it wasn't there!"

"Well…wait, you _what_?" Reba said, surprised. She knew she hadn't told them, so who…

Growing impatient, Cheyenne snapped, "I knew something was up, so I bribed Kyra and Nell. Now what the heck is this?

"You…you _bribed_…you know what, I don't want to know," Reba sighed.

"Now come on, Mom," Cheyenne pleaded. "True, I haven't been able to see my feet for weeks, but I'd like for _other_ people to be able to see them!"

Reba let out a deep breath. "Okay, you know how Nell is really me when I was eighteen?"

"Yeah," Cheyenne said, ignoring the gasp that Jake let out.

"_What_?" he exclaimed, still beyond confused.

Feeling bad for her son but at the same time not wanting to stop, Reba continued, "Well, Terry says that the only way this…invisibility thing could happen was if Nell…didn't make it back to the right place in the timeline, in which case I never exist, which means none of you three exist either."

"Huh?" Van asked, wrinkling his brow in an effort to make sense of that.

Her eyes dawning with realization, Cheyenne cried, "So if Nell gets lost or something, I never _exist_? So, what, I'm just going to keep fading until I disappear?"

"That's what it looks like," Reba answered.

"This is just…insane!" Cheyenne shouted, then did a double take at her brother. "Why isn't he disappearing then?"

"I don't want to disappear! I like existing!" Jake yelled, fear evident in his voice.

Van, however, remained somewhat calm. "Man, I am glad I'm not your biological son, Mrs. H. I wonder what my life is going to be like without Cheyenne in it?"

"You'll find out soon enough if you keep talking like that!" Cheyenne retorted, slapping him on his shoulder.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Reba put two fingers in her mouth and whistled, bringing the others to her attention. "No one is going to disappear forever, okay? We're going to figure this out. We just have to find Kyra and Nell, then keep Nell under lock and key until Terry deems it the right time for her to go home."

"We know where they are!" Van told her. "When we were talking with them, they said the name of the club they were going to."

Reba frowned. "That doesn't help us. The band member Jake talked to said that they left the club, and that was a little while ago."

"Well, maybe…" Cheyenne trailed off, thinking. "Maybe we can go to the club and ask around, see if anyone saw who they were talking to. We can't call the police; Kyra and Nell haven't been missing for twenty-four hours, and they're both eighteen."

The others in the room stared at her, surprised at her outburst of information. Jake raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

Cheyenne shrugged. "I'm pregnant. I can't help it if there's nothing on TV but _CSI_."

"Alright, well, that's a good idea," Reba replied, grabbing her purse and walking to the door. "Van, come with me. Cheyenne…stay behind and explain to your brother what's going on. Stay by the phone and we'll call you when we can."

When Van didn't follow her, she stared at him. "Well, come on!"

"Um, Mrs. H, don't slap me or anything but…" Van replied, not quite meeting her gaze. "Shouldn't we…um…get Mr. H and Barbara Jean? Or at least let them know what's going on?"

Reba glared at him. Now that she had a plan, the last thing she wanted to do was waste time getting her ex-husband and his wife. "And tell them what, exactly? That if they don't help us find Kyra and Nell, the four of us will cease to exist because Nell is actually me when I was eighteen?"

"Yeah," Van shrugged. "Look, Mrs. H, I know they don't know what's really going on. But…what if Kyra and Nell are in real danger? I'm only one guy, and you're…_barely_ one woman."

Hesitating, Reba grudgingly admitted that he had a valid point. And she knew it wasn't fair to Brock to keep secret that his daughter was in danger. "Fine. But we can't tell them what's really going on. All they have to know is that Kyra and Nell are in trouble and we have to find them, got it?"

"Got it. But…how are you going to hide the fact that you're slowly turning invisible?" Van reminded her.

About to retort that she would come up with something, Reba's eyes widened when she actually did. "Be right back." With the others looking on in confusion, she ran up the stairs.

Minutes later she walked down them, covered from head to toe. She was wearing the bulky trench coat Brock had sported one Halloween when he was a detective. Leather gloves covered her hands, and combat boots were on her feet. Under the trench coat she wore a light black jacket with a hood that covered all of her hair and most of her head.

Van, Cheyenne, Jake, and Elizabeth keeled over in laughter. Clutching her stomach, Cheyenne squealed, "Please…tell me…you are not…going out like that!"

"How are you going to introduce yourself to people?" Van sputtered, then mockingly held out his hand to Cheyenne. "Hello, I'm Hart, Reba Hart."

This caused another round of giggles. Finally Jake caught his breath and asked, "What are you going to tell Dad and Barbara Jean?"

"Hey, it's either this, or explaining that my guardian angel brought my younger self back from the past and now I'm turning invisible," Reba huffed, but even she found it hard to suppress a chuckle. She _did_ look silly. "Come on Van, we better get moving."

* * *

Nell tried to keep her breath even, as did Kyra. Both were determined not to freak out. If they lost control of their emotions or sense of logical thought, they'd loose _any_ control they had of the situation. However, it didn't help that they were both inexplicably plastered. Her head swimming, Nell attempted to sit up from the couch, as she'd been almost unconscious. "H-how…can we…get out? I can b-barely sit up…"

"Me too," Kyra moaned, flat on her back on the opposite end of the couch.

Putting a hand to her forehead, Nell breathed, "I…don't…get it. All we…had was soda."

"Obviously…J-Jeremy drugged us…" Kyra huffed. "Must be…some kind of pill…that makes you…drunk…how could we have been so stupid?" The last part came out in a rush, since Kyra had been struggling to sit up.

Nell had been asking her the same question. "It wasn't your fault…you were upset... I…I'm stupidly naïve…"

"Don't be like that…you've had…a rough few days…" Kyra sputtered, managing to pick herself up somewhat.

Flopping back on the couch's arm, Nell stared at the ceiling. "What do you…think they're…doing in there?"

"Probably mixing up more…drugs for us…" Kyra mused with bitterness in her voice. "They might be…planning on giving us enough to make us unconscious. Don't…take anything…they give you…make the drink go down your shirt…if you…have to…"

"Well, duh," Nell retorted, annoyed that Kyra thought she might do such a thing.

Kyra frowned. "Sorry. I'm still…you know, drunk and stuff."

"Yeah. So, you have a plan…on how…to get out of here?" Nell asked, her vision becoming blurrier and blurrier. It was taking all her effort just to carry on a conversation. Within minutes she knew she'd either faint or black out, so Kyra better have a plan that didn't involve her being awake.

Several minutes passed, both of them thinking. Finally Kyra remarked, "I saw Nicholas put the keys in his pocket…if we get those, maybe we can…distract them long enough…to get out…of here…"

"That would be perfect…except we can't move…" Nell pointed out.

Kyra glared at her. "Well, do you…have another…plan?"

"No…oh my Lord, Kyra what's happening to you?" Nell exclaimed, remembering to keep her voice down just in time. All of a sudden, different parts of Kyra started to disappear.

Her eyes widening, Kyra looked down at herself in panic. Starting at her translucent hand she remarked, "We must be really, really drunk."

* * *

Gritting her teeth, Reba clenched her fists while she, Barbara Jean, Brock and Van walked into the bar in downtown Houston. "Put a cork in it, Brock. Before I do it for you."

"Seriously Reba, what's with the getup?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow at her trench coat. Both he and Barbara Jean had been teasing her nonstop since she and Van picked them up. Though Reba supposed the teasing would've been ten times worse had they not been in such a serious situation.

Reba traded glances with Van, and he gave her a helpless shrug. _Thanks a lot_. "I…ah…" Reba trailed off, thinking up an excuse. "Um, I haven't been feeling well lately, so I thought I'd bundle up."

"Right," Barbara Jean remarked. "Because it gets so chilly. In April. In Texas."

About to retort, Reba was interrupted when someone called her from across the room.

"Mrs. Hart! Mrs. Hart!"

The group turned around to find two of Kyra's band members running towards them. If Reba remembered correctly, their names were Cody and Bryce. "We're here for Kyra…and Nell," Reba asked. "Do you know where they went off to?"

"We were hoping you'd know," Bryce replied. "We've been looking for her since we want to leave now. What are you…doing here?"

Wrinkling her brow, Reba asked, "Didn't one of you answer her cell phone earlier?"

"No. That must've been Skyler. He said he found Kyra's purse, but he just left with some chick a few minutes ago," Cody explained.

"Man, go Skyler," Van chuckled.

Hitting Van in the stomach, Reba ignored his groan of pain and smiled at the two teens. "Well, that doesn't help me. Did either of you see who my daughter was talking with?"

"I dunno, some guy. Looked older," Bryce answered, pausing to remember. "They were sitting over there, at the bar. I glanced over once or twice, and both times the bartender was giving them what looked like soda."

"How long ago was this?" Brock demanded.

After a moment of thinking, Bryce replied, "An hour ago, maybe?"

"Good, they haven't been gone that long," Reba thought aloud. _And that's about when I started disappearing._ "Did you happen to go over there at any time and get the guy's name?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah. I went to get a soda and heard some guy call him Jeremy."

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me…" Reba trailed off, pushing her way towards the bar, the others following her. "Excuse me! Hey you…"

Eventually the current bartender, a young woman, came over. "Sorry about that. What can I get you?"

"An address," Reba replied bluntly. "The bartender that was here an hour ago, Jeremy. I need his address. Now…please."

Confused, the brunette shook her head. "I'm sorry, miss. We're not allowed to give that information to customers. I suppose I could give you his cell number if it's an emergency…"

"No, I _need_ his address," Reba insisted.

The bartended crossed her arms. "Why? If you can't get it from him, I'm certain he wouldn't want me to give it to you."

"Please, we really need that address," Barbara Jean put in, then paused, her eyes widening when she got an idea. "_I_ need that address. Look, can we talk, woman to woman?"

Curious, the bartender came around the bar. Barbara Jean put an arm around the young woman's shoulders and went off to talk in private.

"What the heck is she doing?" Brock asked.

Reba tilted her head, wondering what Barbara Jean could possibly say to the woman that would make any difference. Sure, Reba could've come up with a lie, but if it was against the rules, it would've had to have been really good…

Moments later, Barbara Jean came back. The woman was patting the blonde on the shoulder. "I hope everything works out, and give him a swift kick in the nuts for me."

"I will. Thank you so much," Barbara Jean said, then joined the group. Once they were out of the bartender's sight and earshot, she smirked. "Got it. 24 Hooper Lane, apartment 19.'

The others stared at her in awe. "Barbara Jean, how did you do that?" Van asked.

"I told her that Jeremy knocked me up, and now he was trying to abandon me," Barbara Jean admitted, her tone indicating that she was clearly proud of herself.

Reba's jaw dropped, as did everyone else's. "You sound like you've used that one before."

"All the time," Barbara Jean confessed, glancing at Brock. "How do you think I found you at that dentistry convention?"

Laughing at Brock's bewildered expression, Reba shook her head. "Come on. Bryce, Cody, thanks for the help…"

"We want to come," Cody insisted.

Bryce nodded. "Yeah, if Kyra's in trouble, we want to help."

Sighing, Reba decided that it couldn't hurt to have more manpower just in case Jeremy had friends. "Fine. Let's go."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Brock and the group made their way to the address as quickly as they could, with him, Barbara Jean, and Van in Reba's car, and the two guys in Cody's car. After meeting Kyra's band members, Brock couldn't help but feel a little nervous that his youngest daughter was in a band with only guys. Then again, the fact that at least two of them were so eager to come to her rescue made him somewhat less queasy.

The car was silent as they drove. Well, almost silent. Once in a while Van and Reba would whisper something to each other. The sensation was very unsettling, especially when Reba still hadn't told him why she was dressed so outlandishly. He could tell the unusual outfit and the secrecy was bugging his wife, who kept glancing back. It only drove her more crazy, since the two would stop whispering as soon as she did.

"Barbara Jean, calm down," Brock whispered. "You're constant whirling around is distracting me."

Barbara Jean glared at him. "Well, it's better than worrying about Kyra. She'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Brock assured her. They couldn't go through all this just to find that they were too late to save her…or Nell. Funny, Reba seemed to show little or none concern for Nell. True, Kyra was her daughter, but Nell was still another teen who could be in serious danger.

"It doesn't make sense," Barbara Jean said, leaning back on the seat's headrest. "I mean, how could Reba have even _known_ that Kyra and Nell were in trouble?"

That same question had been bothering Brock as well. "Don't think about it, honey. We should be thankful that she did…somehow…"

"I guess. But this is all very, very weird, and I'm demanding an explanation once this horrible night is over," Barbara Jean stated, determination in her tone.

There was silence once again, and this time it lasted until they arrived at the apartment building. _My little girl is in there…_Brock thought with disgust, taking in the chipped paint and the unsavory teens hanging around the front stoop. A quick glance at the others proved that they were equally disturbed. Clearing his throat, he began, "Barbara Jean, Reba…maybe you two should stay…"

"Not on your life, blondie," Barbara Jean huffed, opening her car door. Meanwhile, Reba climbed over Van's lap in an effort to get out as fast as she could.

Brock's shoulders sagged as he and Van traded glances. "Can't say I didn't try."

The four stood in front of the building, waiting for Bryce and Cody could drive up. When they did, Cody gave an apologetic shrug. "Sorry. Got stuck at a couple of lights."

The six made their way up several flights of stairs, one of them checking the apartment numbers every once in a while. After a few minutes, Brock thought he heard Reba mutter to Van, "We're getting close, I can feel it. And I think they're okay."

"You creep me out, Mrs. H," Van sighed.

Shaking his head, Brock thought, _Barbara Jean's right. This is very, very weird._

They all finally made it in front of apartment nineteen. Brock pounded on the door. "Kyra? Nell?"

Nothing. The other guys started slamming the door with their fists. Shuffling noises came from inside, a few thumbs and bangs, but no one answered the door.

Looking around, Reba spotted a fire axe on the wall nearby. "Excuse me…" She shoved past the others, ready to punch the glass with her fists.

"Mrs. H, are you crazy?" Van exclaimed. "You'll hurt yourself! Let me do it."

Reba sent him a dirty look. "I have gloves on. Now _let me_…"

"Reba, listen," Brock pleaded, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I know you want to get to Kyra and Nell, but this will go a lot quicker if someone with a little more…muscle…is wielding the axe." He then took his hands off her and shielded his head, sure she was going to slap him.

To everyone's surprise, she gave up and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. Van, have at it."

"Okay then," Van said, breaking the glass. He started to hack at the door, and they were all in within minutes.

"Kyra!" Reba shouted, running into the room.

Brock and the other guys quickly scanned the room for signs of the attackers. A window was open, and they glanced down to see a fire escape, and a car with two men in it speeding away. 'There they go," he groaned, punching the windowsill out of pure frustration.

"Maybe if we run down the fire escape, jump in _our_ car and…" Van trailed off, the others shaking their heads. "Well, it was a thought."

"I can't believe they got away," Bryce moaned, also slamming his fist against the wall.

"Hey, we could use a little help!"

Turning around at Barbara Jean's exclamation, Brock let out another angry groan. Kyra and Nell were unconscious, Kyra sprawled out on the couch, while Nell was on the floor. Upon closer inspection he realized that both had some bruises on their faces or other areas.

"We need to get them to a hospital," Reba observed, holding Kyra in her arms. "They're probably okay, but we can't know that for sure."

Van picked up Nell and headed towards the door, the teen limp in his arms. Brock went to get Kyra, but was stopped by Barbara Jean. "Yeah right, Brock. Your back, and all those flights of stairs?"

As much as he wanted to protest, since Reba was smirking at him, Brock nodded. "Yeah. Will one of you two…"

"I got her," Bryce offered, picking Kyra up. With a smirk at Cody, he remarked, "Man, she's heavy. I knew I shouldn't have bought those doughnuts for out last practice."

Cody chuckled. "I dare you to say that to her when she's conscious."

"You crazy, dude? She'd punch me so hard, I'd be black and blue for a month," Bryce retorted as they went into the hallway.

The three left in the room exchanged amused glances. Barbara Jean gave him a brief hug, then followed the other two. "Meet you at the car."

Brock turned around to find Reba still sitting on the floor, slumped up against the dirty couch. She'd taken the trench coat and the gloves off, revealing jeans and one of her usual V-necked shirts, half-covered by a black, hooded zip up jacket.

Sitting next to her, he took her hand in his. "Are you okay?"

"I guess," Reba said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I was just so scared, Brock. I thought that I might lose her…and the bastards got away…"

Brock sighed. "I know, me too. But she's safe now. And I'm sure…whoever those two were…they won't get away with it."

"I hope you're right, because…" Reba trailed off, staring at something behind Brock.

Confused, he turned around, only to find there was nothing there. "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing," Reba assured him, giving him a weak smile. "We better go. This place is giving me the creeps."

"I thought I was the only one," Brock chuckled. Together, with Brock's arm around Reba's shoulders, they walked out of the apartment.

* * *

_Ouch…_ Kyra thought, rolling over in her bed the next day. She felt like absolute hell. Take the worst hangover she'd ever had, then multiply it times a hundred. Her head hurt, _a lot_, and her legs were a little unsteady.

Somehow managing to sit up, she tried to remember what happened the night before. She could recall bits and pieces…going to the battle of the bands, getting third place, being upset…meeting Jeremy…

_Jeremy_.

It all came screaming back in one instant. Digging her nails into her bedspread, she shut her eyes in an effort to forget the agonizing pain. While the two hadn't done anything to them for a while, it wasn't too long before…

Kyra touched the black and blue on her face. While she was still strong enough to resist, she'd fought back his demanding kisses, and…he'd slapped her, a good few times. Her muscles ached from trying to kick and punch.

_How could I have been so stupid?_ Kyra thought, lying back on her pillow and staring at the ceiling. _Of course going to that club was a bad idea. There was a reason I didn't want to tell Mom, and that's because she's right…Mom!_

Sitting straight up in bed, Kyra looked around. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar head of red hair falling on her neighbor's pillow, the teen curled up on the spare mattress they'd set up.

Then it dawned on her…how did they get here? Last thing she remembered, they were about to pass out, while Jeremy and Nicholas…

_Was it a dream? A horrible dream?_

"No, Kyra, it wasn't."

Stifling a gasp, Kyra turned to find Terry sitting at her desk. "What…"

"It wasn't a dream," Terry explained. "That's what you were wondering, wasn't it?"

"Well, but, how did you…I don't want to know," Kyra sighed.

Terry chuckled, coming to sit at the edge of her bed. "Here's what happened. You and…Nell passed out. Jeremy and Nicholas were about to…you know…but Reba, Van, Brock, Barbara Jean, Bryce, and Cody tracked you down and destroyed the door with a fire axe."

Staring at him, Kyra realized she had a million more questions. But she was just too tired. "Oh. So…I don't have to worry that I might be pregnant, right?"

"Fortunately, you both don't. Your family go there just in time," Terry assured her.

Kyra breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." Glancing over at Nell again, she asked, "Why is she still here? I thought you would've taken her home after last night."

"I'll take her home soon enough," Terry replied, then jerked a thumb at the door. "But there's someone you need to talk to downstairs."

Her shoulders sagging, Kyra grimaced. "Mom doesn't want to talk to me. She's probably really mad…and disappointed. Anger and screaming I can take, but knowing that she's _disappointed_…I can't face her. I know I screwed up, but I just can't talk to her yet."

"Kyra," Terry argued, "The sooner you clear the air with her, the better off you'll be. Do you want to go on your tour knowing that she's disappointed with you?"

"Right, the tour…" Kyra remembered, leaning back on her pillows. Before last night, she wouldn't have given a second thought to her mother being angry with her. She would've gone no matter what. She knew that, if she wasn't eighteen, her mother would've forbade her from going after what she did. While that wouldn't have bothered her a week ago, she now felt guilty at the mere thought of going away when she didn't have her mother's support..

After a moment, Terry reminded her, "And what about Nell? You're going to make her stay here for months because you're afraid?"

Kyra couldn't argue with that one. She'd forgotten that the length of Nell's stay was determined by her relationship with her mother. "Alright, you win. I'll…" She trailed off when she realized that he was no longer there. Rolling her eyes, she called, "You know, I hate it when you do that!"

"Terry pop in to see you?"

Startled Kyra looked toward the doorway and saw her mother standing there, a steaming hot cup of coffee in her hand. "How'd you guess? And if that coffee's for me, I'm eternally grateful."

"I thought you could use it," Reba chuckled, sitting at the edge of her daughter's bed and handing over the coffee. "How are you feeling?"

Kyra shrugged, taking along sip of the coffee. "Okay, considering. I'm still tired but I just can't sleep anymore."

"I wouldn't think so. It's four in the afternoon," Reba informed her, pointing at the digital clock on Kyra's nightstand.

Whirling around, Kyra gasped. "You're kidding me!"

"Nope. Once we brought you back from the hospital, you were out cold for the rest of the night," Reba explained. "Your band stopped by, but you wouldn't wake up."

Kyra wrinkled her brow. "The guys…how did…"

"Cody and Bryce helped us rescue you last night," Reba informed her.

"Oh," Kyra said, lowering her eyes. "I'll call them later."

Without warning, Reba wrapped Kyra in a fierce hug. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Though she returned the hug, Kyra felt guilt swell up inside. She didn't deserve her mother being so nice to her, not after what she did. "Mom, I'm sorry," Kyra wailed, resting her head on her mother's shoulder. "Really sorry. I was so stupid…"

"Well, yeah," Reba agreed, giving her a weak smile. "But you're also a teenager. And teenagers make mistakes."

Raising an eyebrow, Kyra gaped at her. "You mean, you're not…disappointed in me?"

Reba sighed. "I am, but I guess I can't be too angry with you. It's not like I can say I wouldn't have done the same thing when I was eighteen," she chuckled, with a sidelong glance at Nell.

"I'm still sorry," Kyra insisted. "It's just that I wanted to earn that money on my own so much. But I guess there's no way I'll get it now."

Tilting her head, Reba asked, "What makes you so sure?"

Smirking, Kyra replied, "Right. Like _you're_ going to give it to me."

"Kyra, ever since Nell got here, I've given a lot of things some thought," Reba began. "I've been trying to cope with you not going to college, making the mistake of giving up guaranteed security. At first, I couldn't accept it, and tried everything to get you to change your mind. Then, you made me realize that I had to let you make your own mistakes. And I thought, well, that was it. Problem solved.

"But that wasn't it. I was still thinking of this tour thing as a _mistake_, not a choice that you've given a lot of serious thought to. I think part of the reason I haven't been able to accept this is because of my own history, my own experience and disappointments with the music business. After some thinking, I realized that I'm just going to have to trust in your decision and remember that you and I are not the same person.

"So, here's what I'm going to do," Reba finished with a heavy sigh. "I'm still going to give you the money. Consider it a loan, to be paid back when you're rich and famous."

Staring at her, Kyra took in everything her mother just said. By some miracle, she was still getting to go to New York City, even after what she did. Not to mention that her mother was now behind her one-hundred percent, and would be when she made decisions in the future. "Mom, I can't believe it, I can go? What about last night?"

"That's where the 'however' comes in," Reba answered, putting an arm around her daughter. "I'm coming with you."

Kyra didn't even consider protesting. She was just ecstatic that she was going. Too thrilled to speak, she wrapped her mother in a tight hug. "I love you, Mom."

Surprised, Reba returned the hug. "I love you too, Kyra."

"You tell anyone about this," Kyra threatened once they broke apart. "And I'll tell Dad about the calendar of hunky country music stars you have in your sock drawer."

Reba blushed. "Deal."

"Oh, man…what time is it?"

The both turned to find Nell sitting up on her mattress, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Four in the afternoon," Kyra supplied.

Reba smirked. "I wish I could still sleep like that."

"What _happened_ last night?" Nell yawned, coming over to sit on the edge of Kyra's bed next to Reba. "My head is _pounding_…is that coffee?"

Kyra shielded her cup with her hands. "_Mine_. All mine!"

"Mean," Nell retorted. "Seriously though, the last thing I remember is passing out in that guy's apartment."

Reba explained what happened again. "…the hospital let you go after a few hours, and you've been sleeping ever since."

"I can't believe they got away," Nell groaned, punching one of Kyra's stuffed animals. "But we're safe now…and I'm just realizing that I still look like a freaky…"

"Hey! Those are my clothes!" Kyra interrupted before she could finish her insult.

The three laughed, but Reba sent Nell a worried glance. "Yeah, you're safe _now_. After what happened, you're staying in this house under lock and key until you go home," Reba ordered, putting a hand on Nell's shoulder.

Suddenly they both started to glow a golden light, much like the one Terry used when he transported. "Which I think might be now."

"It makes sense. We did fix our issues," Kyra agreed, but at the same time she was sad to see her new friend go. "I'm going to miss you, Nell."

"How could you miss me? I'm right here," Nell reminded her, pointing to Reba.

Kyra thought about that for a moment, then nodded. Having her mother as a close friend was great. Now that her and her current mother had reached this new level of understanding, maybe they _could_ be as close as she and Nell had been. "Yeah, I guess you are." She paused. "Okay, that was so totally corny."

"I know," Nell laughed, giving Kyra a big hug. When they broke apart, she turned to Reba. "Well, see you in thirty years."

Chuckling, Reba and Nell hugged good-bye. Next thing Kyra knew, both Nell _and_ her mother had vanished in a flash of golden light. Now she was worried – she'd only been expecting _Nell_ to disappear. _Where'd she go?_


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: This is the last chapter before the epilogue, which should be up soon.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Feeling the rush of the time travel magic fade, Nell opened her eyes, fully expecting to be back in Terry's bar. Well, if not in the bar, in her room. She wasn't sure what it would be like to be back in her time after being gone for so long. For one, thing, she was surprised that she remembered her trip to the future. With all that knowledge, she was sure she would mess _something_ up on her way to her late forties.

One thing she did know, though, was that she was now…

"What happened?"

….on her own. _Never mind that, then_., Nell thought with surprise, just noticing that her older self was standing only a few feet away from her. Wrinkling her brow, Nell asked, "What the heck are you doing here?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Reba retorted, looking around.

Nell did as well, curious to know where they'd been transported. They were in the living room of Reba's house, which meant they definitely were no where near the 1970's. "Something must've gone wrong…"

"Well, we know where we are, the question is, _when_ are we…" Reba reasoned, moving further into the living room. She picked up a picture of her family – she and Brock were wrapped in each other's arms, and Cheyenne was no older than sixteen. "Oh Lord…"

Running over to see the picture, Nell gasped. If the kids were that young, then they only went back about six or seven years, nowhere far enough for Nell to be in her rightful timeline. "Maybe it's just this picture…"

"No, I remember this furniture," Reba assured her. Some of the tables and other pieces were different than their counterparts in the near-distant future. "If I remember correctly, I got rid of most of this stuff after…wait, then that means…oh, this is bad."

Nell stared at her, totally confused. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"This is before I kicked Brock out, before I even _knew_ about Barbara Jean. If we stay here too long, we could change something, and I've definitely learned my lesson – you don't mess with the past," Reba explained, putting the picture back down on the table. Then she started pacing with nervous energy.

Watching her go back and forth, Nell asked, "But how do we get out of here? If not to my time, then at least some…when else?" There was a contemplative silence, then they heard shouting from the kitchen. "What's that?"

"Sounds like…_me_. Me and Brock!" Reba whispered, going over to kneel under the window between the two rooms and listen. Nell kneeled beside her, peering over the ledge just an inch to see what was going on.

Reba number three and a younger Brock were having it out, alright. They were standing at either ends of the kitchen, staring each other down. Reba, who was closest to them, had one fist clenched, and the other hand around the necklace she wore, that had a silver charm shaped like a key.

"_Who is she, Brock?" Reba demanded, unclenching and clenching her fist._

_Brock gaped at her for a second, then did his best to recover. "What the hell are you talking about, Reba?"_

"_Oh, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, you mo_ron_," Reba seethed, inching closer to him. Brock backed up as she did so in an almost comedic way – he was deathly afraid of her. "The perfume, the calls about "dinner reservations" you've never taken _me_ to, and the fact that our neighbor claims to have seen you at the movies last week with some pretty young blonde. Not only is this just plain wrong, Brock, but it's also horribly cliché."_

_There was a silence that seemed to go on for hours. Finally Brock mumbled, "Her name is Barbara Jean."_

_Reba glared at him, then her eyes widened in realization. "Your hygienist? Oh my Lord…how could you possibly like that…you know what, never mind. How long has this been going on?"_

"_A few months," Brock muttered,_

_Putting a hand on her hip, Reba demanded, "How long exactly, Brock?"_

_Brock hesitated, then replied in a small voice, "A few weeks after our anniversary."_

"_Oh my Lord," Reba groaned, slamming her fist on the nearby table out of aggravation. Then her eyes widened and she ripped the necklace off so that the chain fell out of her hand. "This. This 'belated anniversary gift.' You got this for me out of guilt, didn't you? Didn't you?"_

_Squirming a little, Brock replied, "Well, I-I found the key in the attic and BJ thought it would look good as a necklace…"_

"_Well, why didn't you just give it to _her_ then?" Reba shrieked, hurling the necklace at him, and hitting him in the middle of his forehead._

From behind the counter, older Reba muttered. "That had to hurt."

Nell nodded in agreement.

_Rubbing his head with one hand, and holding the necklace he'd caught with the other, he pleaded, "Reba, just listen…"_

"_You don't deserve me listening to you!" Reba shouted, running out into the living room._

Her eyes widening in panic, Nell hid behind the easy chair while Reba crouched down behind a large plant. Once the other Reba stomped up the stairs, the two Rebas left in the living room immediately went back to peeking into the kitchen.

_Brock was stunned, still holding the necklace in his hand. Standing there for a good long minute, he shook his head, as if recovering from a trance. He went to the freezer and pulled out an ice pack, applied it to his sure-to-be throbbing head, Holding the ice pack still, he slipped the necklace into his coat pocket and went out the back door._

Reba groaned, leaning back against the dividing wall. Looking at her with concern, Nell asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Reba assured her, letting out a deep breath. "Just brings back memories. You know, I never did get that necklace back. I wonder what he did with it…"

"Oh my God!"

The two jumped to their feet, startled when an eleven-year-old Kyra came down the stairs. "B-but…" She sputtered, her gaze darting back and forth between the stairs and the two people in front of her. "M-mom was just upstairs…how…"

"Kyra, it's okay, you're…dreaming, that's it, dreaming," Nell lied, giving a helpless shrug when Reba raised an eyebrow at her. _Well, what else am I supposed to say?_

Warily Kyra inched her way closer to the other two, looking first at the teenager, then the older woman. Her eyes widened in understanding. "You're from the future. Again."

"Yes, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell…me about this," Reba said, wrinkling her brow at the odd string of words.

Chuckling, Kyra remarked, "You were right. Mom…well, you and Dad are splitting up. I can't wait to be an aunt."

"Well, I don't think it'll be long now, probably another few months," Reba replied.

About to say something, Kyra suddenly glanced towards Nell, as if just noticing she was there. "Who are you?"

"Her," Nell explained, pointing to Reba. "When she was eighteen."

Kyra raised a shocked eyebrow, then shook her head as she went back upstairs. They both heard her mutter, "The future is going to be very, very weird."

Laughing, they fell silent for a second, not knowing what to do next. "What are we going to do? Maybe we can call for Terry."

"We got here without him, didn't we? I think something else is going on…" Reba reasoned. "But I hope we go home soon. If I see another version of me I think I'm going to scream. No offense."

Nell chuckled. "Same here. No offense." Then, before she could say anything else, they were both enveloped in more golden light. _Here we go again,_ Nell thought, the now-familiar sensation of time traveling taking over.

* * *

"_My roots are planted in the past, and though my life is changing fast, who I am is who I want to be…"_

"Now when are we," Reba muttered, the music overwhelming her. After a few moments of getting her bearings, she found Nell standing next to her, looking around in utter bewilderment.

They were backstage…somewhere. Racks of clothes and vanities covered with makeup cases were scattered around the room. At least a dozen people were running around, each off on their own errand, taking no notice of the two newcomers. It was from this that Reba deduced they must be invisible…surely, someone would've noticed two people appearing out of thin air…

Then her mouth dropped open as she caught sight of the poster hanging on a far wall. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tugged Nell's shirt sleeve, pulling the teen towards it. "Oh…my…Lord…"

"Oh my Lord!" Nell gasped in much the same manner, though hers came out in one breath.

The poster had a huge picture of her…them…herself, looking pretty much as she did now, maybe slightly older. The Reba in the picture was wearing a dress that looked ridiculously expensive, something current…or past…Reba couldn't imagine wearing at all, holding a microphone. The bottom of the poster read:

_Reba McEntire, Live in Concert, April 20__th__ 2017_

"2017?" Nell gasped, disbelief in her eyes.

Reba couldn't grasp what she was seeing either. Apparently, in a mere ten years, she would be a famous singer…how the heck was that supposed to happen when she was almost fifty now…she was in _real estate_ for crying out loud…and what was with the McEntire thing…

"Stage name. Kyra wouldn't let me use my own name, God forbid a fan or two of hers made the connection to a country singer."

Her heart leaped into her throat, her breath becoming jagged as Reba heard the way too familiar voice from behind her. Slowly, and at the same time so it was almost comical, she and Nell turned around.

In the back of Reba's mind it registered that the music had stopped, and the crowd was still cheering wildly. But never mind that…standing in front of her was _herself_, ten years older and wiser. True to her word about screaming at the sight of another version of herself, Reba bit her bottom lip to keep it at bay.

"You can scream if you want to," older Reba laughed, giving her a knowing smile.

Instead of doing so, Reba breathed, "_How_…how do you…did I develop the ability to read minds in the future?" Heck, when it came to Terry, anything was possible…

"No," older Reba chuckled again, shaking her head. "I was you ten years ago, I went through everything you're feeling and thinking now. And I remember it all too well."

Nell smirked. "This would be very hard to forget."

"Well, duh…" Reba muttered to herself, immediately feeling stupid for not figuring it out herself. Then again, there really was no use muttering under her breath when her older self would just remember it anyway, and her younger self would eventually experience this…oh God, she was getting a headache.

Older Reba took a two aspirin and a bottle of water from where they had been waiting on a nearby chair. "For your headache."

"Thanks," Reba said weakly, swallowing the aspirin and taking a swig of the water.

Nell gaped at them. "This is really creepy."

"Tell me about it," older Reba sighed. "I forgot how weird this would be."

After a moment or two of steadying her nerves, Reba blurted, "How did this happen?"

"Well, I can't tell you too much at the risk of changing anything," older Reba answered, her hesitation indicating that she was choosing her words carefully. "But after seeing Nell, and returning to your time, you realize after a while that you really do want to sing professionally. You get a few lucky breaks…and a little help from rock star Kyra…you eventually break into the music business and become a _huge_ country star."

Reba and Nell shared delighted, yet incredulous looks. "You're serious? But…_how_…"

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself," older Reba said, though there was some regret in her tone. "It'll be a bumpy road, but you'll make it."

"But I'm _old_…for music industry standards anyway," Reba argued, adding the last part when her older self glared at her.

Giving her a reassuring smile, older Reba explained, "That doesn't matter, when it comes to you, at least. A lot of fans liked your country voice, and were surprised to find out you were older but didn't care."

"Cool! I still get to be a singer, a little later, but who cares?" Nell squealed, nearly jumping up and down from excitement. She stopped when another thought came to her. "Wait, did you say _rock star Kyra_? I knew it!"

"Yeah, Kyra's band is world famous, touring at least once a year," older Reba explained.

Reba didn't know why, but suddenly she was pushing passed the other two toward the stage curtain. Pulling it to the side, she searched the front rows for her family.

There was Brock and Barbara Jean, and a sixteen-year-old boy who must've been Henry sitting next to them. What was shocking, though, that there was another teenager, this one a girl sitting next to him. She had both her parents' long blonde hair. _Brock and Barbara Jean have another kid!_

Next to them were Van and Cheyenne, easily recognizable. They must've been in their early thirties, but both still looked great. Next to them was Elizabeth, sixteen and just as beautiful as her mother. And, once again, next to her was a red-haired boy who couldn't have been more than seven younger, looking just as sullen as his Aunt Kyra had once been. That gave her a good chuckle. _Poor Cheyenne._ Then, even next to him, was a brown-haired girl, who looked to be about six. _Looks like Cheyenne is going to have another baby too. _

Sitting in the row in front of the two families was Kyra, in her late twenties, a handsome young man at her side. With some focus she recognized him as an older Bryce. Though Reba was surprised, she was even more surprised to realize that Kyra's belly was huge. _Oh dear Lord, she's pregnant!_ One hand on her bulging stomach, her other hand was gripped and kissed by the man standing next to her.

Reba's jaw nearly dropped when she saw Jake, sitting next to Bryce. The young man had to be in his early twenties, and had turned out to be handsome and muscular. He was wearing a University of Houston sweatshirt, and a pretty brunette girl was hanging on his arm.

But what shocked her most of all were the two people a little further down the row. Lori Ann was on her feet, cheering and whistling (she wasn't the only one though, many others were out of their seat, demanding that Reba come back on stage). In the next seat was a handsome man, slightly younger than Lori Ann, but he had his arm around her. Reba smiled, glad one of her best friends finally found someone.

Then she saw him. Adam was standing as well, smiling at where she was looking, as if knowing she was there. There was a flicker of stage light, and Reba caught a glimpse of the wedding band on his finger. He was the only one without a date, but seemed to be perfectly fine with that. Come to think of it, there was a wedding band on her older self too...

She couldn't take it anymore. Closing the stage curtain, Reba turned to face the other two, who were staring at her with quiet curiosity. Nell was, anyway.

Older Reba was grinning, understanding in her features. "Amazing, huh?"

"Overwhelming is more like it," Reba remarked, but turned to Nell. "We're married."

"We're married?" Nell exclaimed happily.

Reba nodded, total happiness spreading throughout her body. She wasn't going to be alone. "To Adam."

"To Adam," Nell repeated, shaking from excitement.

Nodding again, Reba said, "And we're a singer."

"We're a singer!" Nell finally yelled, jumping up and down again.

Jumping up and down with her, Reba felt much like her eighteen-year-old self at that moment. There was hope for her, for a future full of family and fans who loved her. "We're married! To Adam! We're a singer!" So filled with happiness she couldn't contain herself, she wrapped Nell in a huge hug…

And there was silence. While before there was the sound of the cheering crowd and the backstage crew, now there was absolute quiet.

"What happened?" Nell asked, looking around once she'd broken apart from Reba.

Upon closer examination, Reba realized that everyone and everything was frozen in time, except for the three of them. "Yeah, what did happen?"

Older Reba was looking at a random spot opposite them, a few feet away. "It's time for both of you to go home."

Before she could ask what that meant, Reba was distracted by a growing golden light that filled the room. Terry appeared, his smile wide. He looked at older Reba. "Hey."

"Hey. Haven't seen you in a while, " older Reba said, giving him a brief hug.

Once they broke apart Terry walked over to the other Rebas. "So which one of you am I taking home first?"

"Her," Reba answered before her younger self could protest.

But she wasn't about to. Nell practically jumped for joy, shouting, "Yes!" The she hugged both Reba and older Reba, waving good-bye as she disappeared with Terry.

It was a quick good-bye, but Reba didn't mind. She'd already had that in Kyra's room. Besides, she knew there would always be a little bit of Nell inside her, even if she had to dig deep to find it sometimes.

"Now _that_ was corny," older Reba smirked, clearly remembering her thoughts.

Reba chuckled. "I haven't changed a bit."


	14. Epilogue

A/N: Well, I've finally reached the end, yay for me! I just want to say a special thanks to all my reviewers, especially "Lost in Day Dreams," "Shining Friendship," and "SunRise19" for reviewing just about every chapter!

While this is over, I just want to tell you all that I am planning on making this a trilogy (unless I come up with more stories, hehe). It hasn't exactly been written yet, but I have given it a lot of thought, and it'll be posted as soon as I finish my one other story I need to finish up.

So, thank you all, and enjoy the epilogue!

* * *

**Epilogue**

**April 1973**

The eighteen-year-old emerged from the girls' bathroom, running a hand through her long, red hair. A confused look on her face, she walked down the hallway that led back into the main section of the bar.

_Why do I feel so…disoriented?_ Reba thought, looking down at her cowboy boots, then her jeans, then the plaid shirt. She'd been wearing these clothes all day, but for some reason they felt…different, somehow. In fact, _she_ felt different. It was as if she'd been gone for days, over the course of which she'd become older and wiser. But how could that be, when the last thing she remembered was going to the bathroom?

Something very weird just happened, but she had no idea what. It was perhaps the most frustrating feeling in the entire world.

She shook it off. No sense in obsessing over something she couldn't make herself recall. Chances were she'd remember when she wasn't even thinking about it. With renewed confidence she walked into the bar, joining Terry and Lori Ann, who were chatting. Sitting on a stool, she asked, "Alright, what are you guys talking about?"

They both stared at her. Then, as if on cue, they both shook their heads.

Confused, Reba asked, "What?"

"I dunno," Lori Ann answered, shrugging. "Just feels like you've been gone forever."

"Yeah, me too," Terry agreed.

Reba wrinkled her brow, surprised the other two felt that something was different as well. "Oh. How long _have_ I been gone?"

"Five minutes," Terry answered, checking the clock above the bar sink. "Like Lori Ann said, just _feels_ like forever." Then he leaned across the bar and kissed Reba on the lips for a brief moment before breaking apart.

Hesitating, Reba contemplated the tingling she'd experienced when he'd kissed her. It was like…she shouldn't be able to kiss him, that it was odd that Terry was sitting right in front of her, within arm's reach. "Yeah, um…so, Lori Ann, weren't you off hitting on someone?"

"I'm not anymore, obviously," Lori Ann mumbled. "His _wife_ was on her way in. Seriously, who's married at twenty-years-old?"

"Lots of people," Reba asked without thinking. Then she paused. _Who do I know that are married that young?_

Giving her best friend a bewildered look, Lori Ann asked, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Reba assured her, though she wasn't so sure herself.

Terry chose that moment to change the subject. "So, honey, let's talk about your gig on Saturday."

"My…gig?" Reba repeated, as if it were a foreign concept. Then she remembered. "Oh, right. Can't wait." But she didn't mean it. While she was usually thrilled about her next concert, she couldn't work up enthusiasm for it. In fact, she didn't feel like singing all. What was wrong with her?

Well, whatever the reason, the fact was that she felt it. After a moment, she realized it wasn't so much that she didn't want to sing. She just wanted to do it later, after she got a college degree.

This was nuts. She loved singing, why wouldn't she want to do this? Maybe she should just give it some more thought.

_Trust in God, trust in yourself, trust that what you do is the right thing. Everything __will__ turn out okay. More than okay, in fact._

She almost jumped out of her chair. _What the heck was that?_ It wasn't an original thought, she knew. Though the voice saying it had _sounded_ like her, it…wasn't.

For the moment, she'd sing the gig on Saturday. Then she'd just take it one day at a time. "Yeah, really can't wait."

She saw Lori Ann and Terry exchange worried glances. Finally Terry shrugged. "If you say so. You want another beer?"

"No thanks," Reba sighed, massaging her forehead. That nagging sensation was back again, and for some reason she had a feeling it would never go away completely. "I think the last thing I need right now is alcohol."

* * *

**April 2007**

As soon as the light faded and Reba could see again, she immediately recognized the familiar setting of her living room. Then she breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm home. Thank the Lord."

"Whoa. Can you show me how to do that?"

Startled, Reba realized that it was Van who'd said that. He was sitting on the couch…as was Cheyenne and Jake. What confused her more was that Lori Ann was sitting on the easy chair closest to her.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Reba made her way into the living room and sat down on the arm of the easy chair Lori Ann was sitting in. "No, I, um, don't think it's something that can be taught."

"Kyra said that you and Nell just disappeared from her room this morning," Cheyenne told her, worry for her mother etched in her face. "Where have you been?"

Reba gave her a weak smile. "2001. Then 2017."

"I asked _where_ not _when_…" Cheyenne trailed off, growing increasingly bewildered. "Wait, what?"

Staring at her, Lori Ann blurted, "You _time traveled_? Twice?"

"Cool! Did you see me?" Jake exclaimed.

Reba nodded. "Yes I did. I saw all of you…and me. I swear, seeing one version of yourself is weird, but seeing four versions of yourself in one day is enough to make your head spin."

"What did you see?" Van asked.

Hesitating, Reba frowned. As much as she wanted to tell Van and Cheyenne that they would have another kid after the one Cheyenne was pregnant with now, and that Jake grows to be a handsome University of Dayton student, and that Lori Ann doesn't end up alone…she couldn't. Even if the others don't say they'll let it affect their futures, she just couldn't be sure. "Well…I can't say much. You know, 'cause it might change the future…and I really don't want the future to be changed."

"Aw, come on, just a little bit," Lori Ann pleaded, and the others joined in with their own begging.

Reba shook her head. "No, absolutely not. Hey, why are you all here anyway?"

"I came over when I heard about last night," Lori Ann answered. "I called this morning, and Kyra filled me in on what happened. I'm so sorry, and I wish you'd caught those bastards."

Smiling at Lori Ann, Cheyenne explained, "And we came over early to check on Kyra. Of course, we started worrying about you the minute she told us what happened."

"Yeah, where's Nell?" Jake questioned.

"Gone," Reba explained, relief in her voice. "Back in her own timeline."

Jake pouted. "Aw, I wanted to say good-bye."

"Jake…that's Nell," Cheyenne reminded him, pointing to Reba.

His eyes widening in realization, Jake replied, "Oh yeah, right."

"Oh my God, look!" Van exclaimed, turning up the volume of the television.

Reba had barely noticed it was on. Now, however, it had her undivided attention.

Mug shots of Nicholas and Jeremy were being displayed next to each other on the news.  
"Nicholas Mason, twenty-five, and Jeremy Roberts, twenty-four were caught fleeing the city last night around one in the morning. Both had been previously charged with sexual offense, and a search of the apartment proved that there had been an attempt last night. The police report that two teens were found unconscious by their family, then brought to a local station once they came around. With the two teenage girls' positive identification, the police were finally able to arrest Mason and Roberts, each who have offenses going back seven years."

They'd all had enough. Cheyenne grabbed the remote from her husband and turned the television off. "Wow."

"That's great!" Van exclaimed. "Though I wish I still could've gotten in a good punch last night."

Reba chuckled. "Me too, but all that matters is that they were arrested. I'm going to go tell Kyra the good news. Where is she, by the way?"

Pointing in the general direction of the kitchen, Lori Ann answered, "In there. She wasn't hungry when we all had dinner, so she's in there heating up some food."

"Okay, thanks," Reba replied, heading into the kitchen. She was surprised to see Kyra not eating, but on the phone while the microwave let out impatient beeps.

"…so the third act, right…" Kyra was saying, writing down some information on a note. When she spotted her mother, her jaw dropped and she quickly said, "Hey, thanks for the information, she'll be there." Then she hung up and ran to hug her mother. "Mom, you're back!"

Unused to hugs from Kyra, Reba returned it. "Yeah. It was one heck of a trip, I'll tell you that much. But before we talk about that…who were you talking to on the phone?"

"Well…" Kyra began, not quite looking Reba in the eye. "I, um, was talking to Nell, and she gave me this idea…they're having this, like, super professional talent show in town, and I think you should sing in it."

Reba stared at her in disbelief. "A talent show? Kyra, I'm not in high school anymore."

"No, it's really well-respected. People of all ages enter…kind of like a variety show," Kyra explained as she got her food out of the microwave. "Come on, Mom. You know you want to. There might be a talent scout there…you could be on your way to a record contract."

"B-but…I'm a real estate agent!" Reba sputtered. Sure, she'd been thinking about how she could possibly start up her singing career, but to start this _soon_? She hadn't performed in years.

Crossing her arms against her chest, Kyra said in a stern voice, "Come on. You now support me, I'm supporting you. We can do this. What are you waiting for?" She held out the paper on which she'd written down the information for Reba to take.

After only a moment's hesitation, Reba took the paper out of her daughter's hand. "I guess it's now or never."


End file.
